Nayeon Ryu

Junior and president of We Dine Together Sarenna Wood lifts handmade hats from the Hat not Hate program at their October meeting. The cub received fifty hats from the program. “I believe our club makes a positive change in people’s lives who don’t have anywhere to sit at lunch or people who feel isolated,” Wood said. “I’ve seen people who might not have anywhere to go at lunch and they now have a lot of friends. It’s really nice to see.”

Students wearing winter hats is not something that you expect to see during 90 degrees weather, but these hats did more than make members of the We Dine Together club sweat.

After pairing with Hat not Hate, a national program that aims to eradicate bullying through the creation of hand-knit blue hats, members of the club celebrated National Bullying Prevention month by wearing their hats after the October meeting. 

“I really thought the idea of having a physical object to showcase and represent this mission and this movement was interesting,” junior Ulaa Kuziez said. “It was good getting to explain to people what this hat represented. I like talking about it to bring awareness to the theme.” 

Besides starting conversations, club sponsor and art teacher Ashley Drissel believes the hats emphasize the importance of practicing kindness and inclusion, especially during National Bullying Prevention month. 

“I believe that putting on a handmade hat is sort of like getting a hug on your head. The hats symbolize a gesture of love,” Drissel said. “It’s a reminder on our head to spread love and to be more inclusive and open to to peers.”

We Dine Together became connected with the Hat not Hate program through Be Strong, a national organization that focuses on preventing bullying. Drissel hopes that the club’s connections with these programs will help to spark important conversations. 

“I think that there is a conversation that needs to happen about bullying because we all need to be aware. The more we talk about it, the more aware we will be. I think that change can only come from first awareness,” Drissel said. 

Club president and junior Sarenna Wood says the club paired with the Hat not Hate program because of their similar missions. 

“I think it’s really important to include people because I’ve seen on TV dramas about high school where people are being excluded, and I thought, ‘oh, that’s not my school,’ but then I saw it happen,” Wood said. “When I saw exclusion happening, I wanted to stop it. I feel proud to be part of an organization that supports such a good cause.”

Drissell wants to remind students to be kind and of the fact that We Dine Together is always looking for new members. 

“We all have struggles that we don’t always wear on the surface. Everyone has something that’s hard in their life,” Drissel said. “I think it’s really important to approach people with kindness. A small gesture of kindness can go a long way in someone’s world.”