PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALISA FUROYAMA / ST. ANDREW'S PRIORY Girls at St. Andrew's Priory broke with their normal routines and spent their lunch time getting to know different people on Nov. 21 as the school participated in Mix-It-Up Day.

Mixin’ it up

A special event helped students to extend
their boundaries and meet different classmates

Student Q & A
Chapel helps students face daily travails

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By Yeree Woo
St. Andrew's Priory

Nov. 21 was the national Mix-It-Up Day. In all schools, a major problem across the country is the development of "cliques" and the isolation of having a "comfort zone." People generally have a tendency to be with those of similar interests and backgrounds.

This is a problem because new ideas and different beliefs can't be shared or used for the betterment of oneself or the community. St. Andrew's Priory School made a great effort to convey this message to the students, as well as the faculty.

Mondays always begin the week with the Morning Meeting, where students and faculty of the middle school and high school gather to learn something new and remind people of upcoming events. The assembly of Mix-It-Up Day was by far one of the most memorable.

The teachers put together a wonderful skit demonstrating the meaning behind meeting new people. Three faculty members of the Religion Department, all women, sat around a table in the middle of the gym floor pretending to have lunch.

As a male teacher, a young teacher, a student and the principal came one by one, they were rejected by the three for various reasons such as, "You can't sit with us; you're a guy."

After a few minutes, they saw the error of their ways and found themselves bored. They then invited back the people they rejected and had a fabulous and meaningful lunch together.

Although the skit was more entertaining and amusing than melodramatic and sentimental, it conveyed the message with the perfect mixture of comedy and real life.

On the actual Mix-It-Up Day, faculty and students were encouraged to eat lunch with new people. Every table in the cafeteria had a different month labeled on it. Students were to sit with those who shared the same birth month.

Junior Rise Kiuchi said: "I got to know people who I would not have otherwise had a chance to. I even found people who had the same birthday as me."

Even though it wasn't required, many students participated in the school event. It was refreshing to see people of different grades, backgrounds and hobbies laughing and generally having a good time with one another.

The teachers' lounge also was crowded, with a few teachers who usually choose to stay in the classroom all day also showing up.

"It was a unique experience to participate in an activity knowing that hundreds of other students and teachers around the world also took part in it," reflected Kumu Kaimana Kong.

Mix-It-Up Day only occurs once a year; however, getting to know new people should happen every day.

From this experience and the example of the teachers, Priory girls reinforce the knowledge that there is much more to a person than musical preferences or ethnic backgrounds.

Being a part of a small private girl's school might seem to have disadvantages, but the benefits are greater. A student's classmates become like sisters, and the chance to have close relationships with peers are increased.

Senior Valerie Ito said: "I could probably tell you everyone in my class's first and last names alphabetically, maybe even a hobby of theirs. That's a very good thing; they mean a lot to me."

In a small school, differences are appreciated and embraced because the students understand and know the magnitude of friendships and innovation.

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You asked

What are some ways to overcome
the barriers between people?
Compiled by Kara Nishimura, Ashley Kido and Jan Nakaya

Kayo Brown
Fifth grade
"I believe that we should ignore the barriers."

Amy Higham
Fifth grade
"I choose my friends by how they act. We should try to meet new people."

Sam Tanigawa
Sixth grade
"If we judge people by their intelligence, we will not have a good life. Give people a chance."

Kyrsten Solusod
Seventh grade
"Music or even what people wear can become barriers. Look at a person for who they are, and just get to know them."

Kellee Tom
Eighth grade
"Levels of intelligence are barriers; we must try to keep an open mind and study hard in school!"

Morgan Stanford
Freshman
"In the presence of God we are all equal."

Tiffany Tsark
Sophomore
"To overcome race barriers we need to be friendly and accepting of all kinds of people."

Jenna Wong
Junior
"A big barrier is age. You just have to find things in common with someone and bond over that."

Jan Nakaya
Senior
"Ignore the stereotypes, and get to know the person standing in front of you. You'll be surprised how special each person is and just how much they will help you throughout life."

Kirk Uejio
Math teacher
"I think people should read biographies of intelligent, tolerant leaders such as Gandhi, King or Lincoln. We then should model our behaviors after these people."

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