Lunchtime Support

By Nina Cercere, AmeriCorps Promise Fellow serving at SPPS Murray Middle School

"The first week of school, I met a student who was new to Murray Middle School. She was very shy and nervous to eat in the lunch room. Over the next week, I talked with her in and out of class and we connected. I asked her everyday if she wanted to eat lunch with me at a table at the lunch room and she always said no.

One day I asked my supervisor, the AP, if we could eat lunch in her office. I thought the student needed a quiet place, the lunch room can be very overwhelming. We brought our lunches into the Assistant Principal's office and she turned into an entirely different student. She was so talkative, relaxed, and ate all of her food. After lunch, we walked to her class together and she was so grateful.

She told me she was so happy she had someone at school that cared about her, something she never had at her previous school. Since then, our relationship has grown and has made me so glad I am serving as a Promise Fellow this year."

From Voices from the Field, Fall 2018