Student body president Hannah H. scanned the lunchroom at Brockbank Junior High looking for someone she had never met before.
What followed was a series of conversations with multiple individuals whose interests and goals were previously unknown to Hannah. It’s an experience she feels is important for other students to have.
“We have so much diversity here,” she said. “It’s good to get to know other people.”
The efforts of Brockbank’s student leaders, as well as advisor Jessica Jensen, caught the attention of Teaching Tolerance – an educational project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The organization named Brockbank Junior High a “Mix It Up Model School” for initiatives that foster respect and understanding.
Earlier in the school year, Brockbank’s student body officers and student leadership council hosted a Mix It Up at Lunch Day, where members of student government sat by previously unknown peers. The activity was so successful that the group repeated it this spring.
Brockbank is among 76 schools nationwide to receive the honor. More than 6,000 schools participated in the Mix It Up at Lunch Day Program – a campaign to break down barriers between students so there are fewer misunderstandings, which can lead to conflicts.
sterling henson says
i think this is great i am a student at brockbank. i thought this was a great idea when they first announce it to our student counsel. Hanna has done a lot for our school and her new ideas are awsome for the school. Go braves!!
Lisa P. says
My daughter is a 7th grader at Brockbank Jr. She loves it there! Once she got over the fears of being a 7th grader and being one of few Black children in the school, she is thriving. I am so happy that Hannah is willing to reach out to others that she isn’t familiar with and trying to get to know them better before she moves on to high school! I commend her for this!
Thank you !