This Tuesday, the Sit With Us club hosted its first meeting in the student commons. Many students entering WJ either as freshmen or transfers have a hard time acclimating to the chaotic social scene at school, especially at lunchtime. Sit With Us provides a space for these students to come together during lunch and interact with each other through icebreakers and lighthearted activities that eventually lead to lasting relationships.  

President, junior Sarah Potts, is working with students for a third year in a row and hopes to expand the group’s impact on WJ.

“We are hoping to get sixty ambassadors and four open lunches per week by the end of the year,” Potts said.

Students can designate themselves as ambassadors, who host open lunches for those seeking company to join them at their table.

“We want to do open lunches every month and run activities for students such as charades, two truths and a lie and other games,” Potts said.

The first meeting was a great starting point for the group, as plenty of new freshmen gathered in the commons for the initial open lunch. Some students appeared to be friendly with other Sit With Us members, while others were reluctant to reach out to other students. Activities began with a set of icebreakers for students to talk about in groups they were mainly unfamiliar with.

“I am excited for people to meet each other this year. I know how it feels to sit alone at lunch and no one should eat alone,” freshman Aiden Cohen said. “It means a lot to me because my first year I had no one to sit with and now I can help as a member of this great team.”

Group members also receive free pizza at meetings, an offer too attractive for sophomores Sammy Lalouani and Richard Jandi to pass up.

“The first time I heard of the club it sounded interesting, and then I learned that they served pizza, so I decided to stop by. I’ll definitely come again if there’s pizza,” Lalouani said.