As OHS students filed into lunch on Friday Dec. 7, they were greeted with a twist to the lunch table arrangement. During all three lunches, upperclassmen signed up to sit at a different lunch table. They even passed out stickers and candy to encourage new faces to sit at the tables. The goal: to make sure that everyone at Orono feels welcome and included.
Orono’s student voice club, school senate, and the Unified program were all involved in pulling off the 2018 lunch switch up. Senior Julia Rosendahl and junior Jack Patterson coordinated the music and microphone entertainment.
“This week is inclusion week. With input from all three of these groups, we decided that it would be really cool to have a way for different grades and friend groups to connect! It’s an opportunity make new friends by sitting with new kids,” Rosendahl said.
Students were encouraged to find different places to sit. Instead of sitting with their usual friend group, “SWITCH IT UP” became the motto throughout A, B, and C lunches. As students stood up on the tables and chairs chanting the phrase, OHS students, did in fact, start to “switch it up”.
“We want people to branch out. Even if it’s just for one day,” senior senate member Daniel Walker said.
There were freshman sitting at the senior tables and vise versa. It was a totally different layout than what is considered normal.
“I did like how you go to know other people, but every time I went to take a bite of food there was a new question, so I didn’t really eat much that day,” senior Maddie Larson said.
Overall there was a lot of positive feedback about the switch up, however for a few students the switch up got to be a little intimidating. Since there were students standing on the tables it was a little overwhelming walking into the lunch room. Some students who felt intimidated expressed approval of repeating the switch-up someday, however with modifications for those who are less extraverted.
As high school music blared through the speakers and students sang along to “Country Roads” the lunch switch up had been a success.
