The school counselors and Middle School Junior Ambassadors, recently hosted a national level event entitled “No One Eats Alone” which took place 5th period with 6th grade students.

The day kicked off with a class connections activity during homeroom geared towards ending social isolation and creating a culture of belonging for everyone. The sixth grade students “mixed” it up by sitting at different tables during lunch with students they do not normally sit with, while participating in some icebreaker activities. Students received a special dessert treat donated from the MMS PTA. MMS’ very own faculty band, Paper Jam, also provided some awesome musical entertainment!
Chloe Gaer a sixth grade student shared, “I enjoyed the No One Eats Alone day. It was nice sitting with new people and getting to know them.” Caleb Sullivan, another student from MMS was happy to say, “ It was great to sit with new people and get to know them. I also enjoyed the cupcakes and the faculty band was amazing!”

Here are some key messages about No One Eats Alone:
• No One Eats Alone is a positive initiative from Beyond Differences, a nonprofit whose mission is to inspire students at all middle schools nationwide to end social isolation and create a culture of belonging for everyone.

• No One Eats Alone combats social isolation, a major health threat that has devastating impacts on the mental and physical health of our youth, to include: depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and obesity. It is linked to lower academic performance, and can lead to self-harm, bullying, suicide and the violence that occurs too often in our schools.
• No One Eats Alone started in a handful of middle schools in Northern California in 2012. It has grown each year; and, in 2020 more than 2,500 schools in all 50 states will participate, impacting well over 1 million students!