"Mix-It-Up" Lunches Cultivate Community of Kindness

Over the past two weeks, Upper School students have “mixed it Up” at lunchtime, in an effort to cultivate the community of kindness that is a hallmark of Indian Creek School. Students in grades 9-12 held a “Mix-It-Up Day” at lunch on Wednesday, December 6, and students in grades 7-8 held their event during lunch on Monday, December 11.

Mix-It-Up Day is the brainchild of Teaching Tolerance, the education-focused branch of the Southern Poverty Law Center. According to the SPLC, the intention of this event is to "encourage students to identify, question and cross social boundaries. Students consistently identify the cafeteria as a place in their school where divisions are clearly—and harshly—drawn. So we ask students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch. It’s a simple act with profound implications that we encourage educators to include in year-round efforts to promote healthy, welcoming school environments. Studies have shown that interactions across group lines can help reduce prejudice. When students interact with those who are different from them, biases and misperceptions can fall away."

During Indian Creek’s Mix-It-Up event this week, Diversity Club members Kaiya Collins, Jayla Hunter, Kermit Smith, Riley Souder, and Obi Irono, instructed students to sit in the cafeteria according to their zodiac sign. At lunchtime, students found the table labeled with their zodiac sign, and participated in a variety of activities to facilitate a discovery of common interests. Thank you to the Diversity Club members, as well as faculty advisors Becca Derry, Maruca Garcia, and Aubrey Matulevich for facilitating this fun and important lunchtime event.
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Indian Creek school is a co-educational, college preparatory independent school, located in Crownsville, Maryland.  Students in Pre-K3 through grade 12 receive a vibrant educational experience based on excellent academics steeped in strong student-teacher connections.