Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/859531
Start a 'No One Eats Alone' program A S H L E Y C O O P E R ' S classroom at Thousand Oaks High School is more than just a place where students take health, biology and peer mentoring classes. It's also a place for students to make new friends during lunchtime. On any given day, 30 to 40 students find a safe haven in Room E7. Cooper started a No One Eats Alone program at her school to make lunchtime less lonely for students who are socially awkward, new on cam- pus or seeking a wider friendship circle. Several students volunteer as peer mentors, who help introduce students to others and socialize. Recently Cooper received a letter from the mother of a ninth-grader who said her child usu- ally came home from school in tears, and now walks through the door with a smile. " It i s m a k i n g a d i f f e re n c e ," s ay s C o o p e r. " Stu d ent s fe el th at t ea ch ers an d oth er stu - d e n t s a t s c h o o l c a r e a b o u t t h e m . A n d w e have noticed improvement in the classroom w h en it com es to b ehavior and grades. Stu- dents are happier overall ." A national organization, Beyond Differences, launched the No One Eats Alone program in C a li f o r n i a i n 2 0 1 2 . To d ay s c h o o l s i n a l l 5 0 states participate. Starting a program was a natural extension of Cooper's peer mentoring class. Created after a student committed suicide, the program offers support to students struggling with loneliness, depression or anxiety. The goal is to make stu- dents feel welcome, rather than underscoring that they have nobody to eat lunch with. Teens perceived as isolated by Cooper and the peer mentors are issued invitations to lunchtime events such as pizza parties or ice cream socials. For some, it is the first time they've been invited to anything in high school. The program has become so popular that students without invi- tations are showing up. Cooper believes a bigger venue will be needed soon. "It's become an everyday program," says Coo- per, who belongs to the Unified Association of Conejo Teachers. "Everyone is welcome — and we still issue invitations to those who are not feeling connected to campus." Par ticip ants cal l th emselve s " Th e Lunch Bunch," and during a recent ice cream social, Jada Gamble and Paula Mercado at a lunchtime ice cream social in Ashley Cooper's classroom. 33 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 017 Jaylynn Boyd Sam Barton Melissa Franco