In an effort to break down social barriers between various cliques within their community, CHS staff and members of the Peer Listening group took part in national ‘Mix-it-up Day? on Nov. 15.
During lunch hours, students were literally mixed up to sit with students from groups with whom they would not normally socialize.
‘A lot of the socialization in school is in the cafeteria,? said Larry Sherrill, a guidance counselor for CHS. ‘So that’s the perfect time to get them to sit with those other kids and try to get to know them for things other than what they look like.?
Students were randomly assigned a color as they left their third hour class of the day. When they arrived at the cafeteria, students sat at specific tables determined by the color they were assigned. In addition, members of the Peer Listening group and student council members circulated throughout the cafeteria to start conversations among students.
CHS senior Melanie Entrekin is a member of Peer Listening. The group of students is trained through the counseling office in active listening and how to help other students in crisis situations, according to Sherrill.
Entrekin, 17, said she was nervous about the day, worrying other students might blow the exercise off.
‘We were definitely skeptical, I thought, but it was good, it went well.? Entrekin said.
Entrekin recalled in particular seeing a groups of students who normally sit and play basketball with each other mixing with others.
‘The basketball team was mixed with people that were more artistic and things like that. So I thought it was cool to see ‘jocks? and ‘artists? mingling at the same table,? said Entrekin.
‘A majority of the kids seemed to have a good time with it and have fun,? Sherrill said. ‘Maybe they didn’t actively get involved with somebody else, but maybe they met somebody new.?
Sherrill said he thought the event went well, and feedback from the staff indicated others felt the same.
Sherrill added the event was not an attempt to eliminate cliques, but hopefully increase understanding between them.
Entrekin said she has seen a lot of stereotypes generated between the cliques in her school and these stereotypes are what create the walls between the different groups.
‘I think that was what our goal was, to try to expose people to different kinds of people that they usually wouldn’t think to expose themselves to,? she said.
‘We’re never going to get rid of all the cliques. That’s part of society. But if we can maybe be more accepting of cliques and understanding of why people are the way they are and that people are just people, no matter what, I think we make it a better school,? Sherrill said.
Sherrill also acknowledged that with the high school being so large, cliques are a necessity, as is acceptance of them.
‘We’re a society here, we’re a small city,? Sherrill said. ‘You’re going to find there are different groups of people wherever you’re at. I wish we were more diverse. I think we would be more accepting of other groups and cliques if we had a more diverse population at the school. I do think sometimes Clarkston kids are kind of sheltered in that way and because of that maybe not as accepting as maybe some students are. I think it’s important we have those groups, but I also think it’s important that we teach acceptance of each other and those groups.?
Sherrill said he wants to plan a follow-up event, but as of now the details are not known.