Mount Vernon City Schools Celebrate “Mix it Up “

MOUNT VERNON – Students in the Mount Vernon City School District learned more about their peers and met new friends during Mix it Up at Lunch Day on Monday, October 28, 2024. This was the final initiative of Bullying Prevention Month, which was recognized in multiple ways District-wide. Students wore blue on World Day of Bullying Prevention (October 7) and orange on Unity Day (October 16) to take a united stand against hate of all forms.

Bullying Prevention Month Activities were planned by the District No Place for Hate team.
“We’re hoping that schools across the District were able to just encourage the students and the staff to interact with someone new that they normally wouldn’t interact with during lunch,” said Josphine Kirkland-Hudson, BTA Social Worker and No Place for Hate District leader. “We know that during the lunch hours, students typically interact with the same students and activities, so we really wanted to encourage diversity and inclusivity to really bridge that gap between different students.”

At Benjamin Turner Academy, students walked into the lunchroom and were handed different colored papers, selected at random. They walked to the corresponding tables, which were labeled with the colors, and met with their peers.

“It was pretty nice,” said Yeidel Mora, third-grade student at BTA. “I liked it because I made a new friend.”

Students asked their table-mates questions from a list of conversation starters. They learned their names and had discussion about different topics such as what their wishes are and what holidays they would create.

“I learned they like to read; they like to play; they like new stuff,” said Alcina Ismaella, fourth-grade student at BTA. “They like to draw, and I like to draw too. They also love to sing, and I love to sing.”

After sharing the questions, BTA Assistant Principal Raisa Turner walked around the lunchroom and asked students to share what they learned about their new friends with everyone.

“Hopefully this sticks with them and they look out for the person that they found out about today,” said BTA Assistant Principal Raisa Turner. “This was like ripping the band-aid off to ensure that people feel comfortable asking each other questions to get to know each other.”

Schools across the District did different types of activities to help students mix it up. The main focus was introducing children to each other and fostering connections within the school community.