Middle school did kind of suck.

We didn't have this, but we had peer counselors, which somehow, I got to be one. It was cool because basically it was a free period to do nothing. Was awesome for letting me catch up on homework. How did I get that cushy job?

Actually, one cool thing about middle school was industrial arts. We got to take a 'wood', and a 'metals' class. That was fun making stuff in 'the shop'

Do they let kids do that today? I would think with today's litigous parents, they wouldn't want their kids playing with power tools.

Students 'mix it up' to break cliques

NORTHGLENN - Middle school can be a place where you feel alone while standing in a crowd.

That is why students at Huron Middle School decided to participate in National Mix It Up Day.

"Most people exclude you from their groups and everything," said Scott Oney, 7th Grader. "'Cause they think you're not cool enough or popular enough."

Oney's World Geography class spear-headed Mix It Up Day as their way of changing the world by trying to eliminate cliques.

The premise is simple. When students go to lunch, instead of sitting with their usual circle of friends, they make an effort to sit somewhere else and talk to people they do not normally talk to.

"We're not supposed to let anybody feel left out. We can sit wherever we want," said Brittany Green, 7th Grader. "I think they'll learn that people that you normally wouldn't hang out with are more like you than the people you hang out with."

"I'm extremely impressed with their risk-taking," said Michele Saller, World Geography teacher and supervisor of the project. "It's tough for an adult to go sit by someone they don't know. Imagine what it is for a 12-,13-,14-year-old who feels judged, every second of the day."

Before Mix It Up Day, 7th graders took a survey around the school trying to gauge the level of cliques amongst students and if it is a problem. Most said it was a big deal which needed fixing.

"I've always been rejected from groups and everything," said Oney. "It hurts people. I know 'cause it hurt me."

Oney spent his lunch period sitting at a table far across the cafeteria from where he normally sits. He met students he never talked to and said he made some new friends.

"It wasn't scary or anything like most people think it is," Oney said. "But, it's fun to do it and meet new people."

Oney hopes the Mix It Up philosophy will last more than one day. It was created by the Southern Poverty Law Center to promote racial and social tolerance.

Saller said, "I think a huge piece of teaching is life skills."