Elementary school lunch brings back lots of memories – square pizza and fruit cups, the teacher on the microphone asking everyone to reduce the noise level, the fear of dropping your tray, the joy of perfectly opening your milk carton on the first try, and, of course, trying to squeeze onto the bench next to your best friend who forgot to save you a seat while you were in the cafeteria line. It can also be a time to make new friends from other classes. That friendly connection was the hope of the Bar W Elementary (BWE) student coalition when they created Mix-It-Up Lunch. Let’s chat with them to learn more!

BWE Principal Joy Hudgens helped form the student coalition when she opened the school three years ago. “It is a practical way to help students develop leadership skills and positively shape the school culture,” she said. 

Jennifer Morelli was also part of the team that opened BWE. She works with the student coalition in her role as the school counselor. “One of the coalition’s goals is to spread kindness and positivity,” Morelli said. With that goal in mind, the group wanted to share messages about how to make new friends and how to be a good friend. Mix-It-Up Lunch came from that discussion.

BWE designates a handful of days each year as Mix-It-Up Lunch days. On those special days, students have the chance to sit with someone new and get to know their classmates a little better. According to Morelli, having that freedom is a real treat. It gives them time to make a new friend and welcome new students who may have recently moved to their school. 

To support conversations and ensure everyone feels comfortable, the student coalition created simple, kid-friendly conversation starter prompts. These questions are displayed on a looping slideshow during lunch and have proven to be both fun and helpful.

These slides include “this or that” questions, such as cheese or pepperoni pizza, World Cup or Super Bowl, winter or summer. They also share steps on how to be a good friend like say hi, introduce yourself, tell them something about yourself, and play with them at recess. Other slides include sentence starters such as: What’s your name? How is your day going? Where are you from? What do you like to play? What is your favorite color? 

Fifth-grade student coalition member Riya Karnati was selected by her principal to join the coalition last year when she was in fourth grade. She said she wanted to join because “she loves helping the school by getting opinions and speaking for her whole class.” She also wanted to join because she loves her school. “I like the staff and the teachers,” she said. “They help the students, but also each other.”

Hudgens said she is grateful for the heart of her student coalition and students like Riya. “With their dedication and creativity, our goal of fostering an inclusive and friendly campus is well underway,” she proclaimed.