The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program has named Windsor Central Middle School as a Mix It Up Model School for its exemplary efforts to foster respect and understanding among its students and throughout its campus during the 2015-16 school year. The Windsor Middle School is among 91 schools to receive the honor.
“We are delighted to recognize Windsor Middle School” said Teaching Tolerance Director Maureen Costello. “The Model Schools don’t just pay lip service to the values of respect and inclusion. They went above and beyond to provide students an opportunity to get to know their classmates and to maintain a sense of unity. Other schools hoping to have a similar impact can look to these Model Schools for guidance and inspiration.”
The Teaching Tolerance program has hosted Mix It Up at Lunch Day for the past 14 years to help students demonstrate the importance of respecting each other’s differences. At Windsor, the middle school Student Council organized the event. The entire student body participated in the Mix It Up event. The event was held at lunch during the school’s anti-bullying day. The anti-bullying day also included informative assemblies, class meetings about preventing bullying and a school-wide pep rally.
Mix It Up at Lunch Day is a simple call to action. By asking students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch, the event encourages students to identify, question and cross social boundaries. At the Windsor Middle School, students were assigned to different tables by the guidance office, with a student council member also placed at each table. The Student Council members coordinated a balloon pop activity during the event too. The balloons had prepared questions inside and once they were popped each student at the table had a chance to answer the question.
Middle School Associate Principal Kristin Beriman said, “Having our student council members host Mix-It up activities at lunch plays an important role in creating a collaborative culture where students take the time to broaden their perspectives and get to know and value their Middle School peers.”
The Mix It Up Model Schools met five criteria: They each hosted a Mix it Up at Lunch Day during the 2015-16 school year; they included different members of the school’s community—cafeteria staff, aides, administrators, teachers and students—in organizing the event; they followed up with at least two additional Mix It Up-related programs or events on campus; they publicized Mix It Up at Lunch Day or celebrated inclusiveness with posters, announcements and other media; and their event was seen by students and school officials as a success.