Thanks to the hard work of a select planning committee, which included the majority of the BHS support staff, including psychologists (Dr. Lolita Mitchner & Ms. Gabriella Ferro-Quinn) & social workers (Ms. Lisa Ponce, Ms. Marlyn Garcia, Mr. Omar Portillo, & Mr. Fernando Beltran), some of the BHS students (namely, 12th graders Crystal-Anne Estoque and Omar Ali, 12th grader), as well as other support staff (namely, Kathleen Grauer, Ross Dean), the first Mix It Up at Lunch Day was held on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, throughout both BHS buildings (Sonderling & Ross).  Mix It Up at Lunch Day is an international campaign that encourages students to step outside of their comfort zones in order to identify, question, and cross social boundaries.  It’s a simple act with profound implications that endeavors to promote healthy, welcoming school environments.  Studies have shown that interactions across group lines can help reduce prejudice. When students interact with those who are different from them, biases and misperceptions can fall away.  Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the number of students who sit in isolation and eat lunch alone.  

To lend to the excitement of the socioemotional “Mix It Up” initiative, recently retired Guidance Counselor, Antoinette Shervington, answered the call to assist in securing community support by way of gift cards, free pizza coupons, etc. from her vast cadre of connections with local business benefactors.  As a result, the owner of Amore Pizza and Victory Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) of E. Islip (who is one and the same) donated 500 Free Pizza and Soda coupons along with 5,000 free 2-weeks MMA lessons coupons, enough for every BHS student to get at least one!  Amore supported Shervington’s Girls' Inc and Summer Bridge endeavors at the Freshman Center for the past five years, up until her June 2022 retirement.  

Mr. Victor (Vic) Picone, owner of the Long Island Jr. Ducks sports team and CEO of Strength Heals, an organization which supports children who are survivors of abuse, was also high on Shervington’s list of silent heroes who have supported the Brentwood Union Free School District throughout the years. Mr. Picone anonymously provided $5,000.00 in food gift cards to assist families at the Freshman Center who lost loved ones to Covid-19.  Ms. Shervington sent a mass appeal letter to area establishments and within 24 hours, she had a commitment from Mr. Picone to help these families. Once again, Mr. Picone answered Shervington’s call and came forth with thirty $25.00 (for a total of $750) Visa gift cards for the participants of the “Mix It Up” program.  These $25.00 gift cards were raffled off as part of the prize giveaways (one per lunch period across both high schools - Ross and Sonderling).  Not only did Mr. Picone give of himself financially, but he and his wife, Mrs. Picone, took time out of their busy schedule to personally attend this year's Mix It Up Day celebrations to witness the fun and excitement of it all for themselves!!!  Both Mr. and Mrs. Picone had a fabulous time interacting with our students and drawing numbers for our raffle winners.   

We would be remiss in failing to acknowledge some of the District's past and present employees, namely Dr. Marilyn Solano (current Freshman Center social worker), Ms. Diana Sickler (BHS English teacher and after-school Arts & Crafts Club Advisor), Ms. Keri Larsen (BHS Spanish teacher and Spanish Honor Society Advisor), Ms. Cindy Reide-Combs (recently retired social worker) and Mr. Allan Friedman (retired school psychologist), who fortified the event with their input, presence, donations, participation, and professional commitment to the mental health of all of our students!  With a concerted effort from all of those involved, this year's Mix It Up Day was sure to have made a positive difference in the lives of many of our students, especially for those who were actively engaged in the structured activities designed to encourage them to meet new friends, who danced to upbeat music played throughout each cafeteria, and who were excited about opportunities to win a variety of raffle prizes and giveaways.  We are #BrentwoodStrong together!!!