Eating alone discouraged at San Francisco school

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Eating alone at school was discouraged at one San Francisco school on Friday. In fact, 700 other schools nationwide were on board with that. It was national No One Eats Alone Day. It was created locally three years ago to combat social isolation that can lead to bullying.

Students at Presidio Middle School in San Francisco engaged in conservation with kids they wouldn't otherwise hang out with.

The interaction happened in the lunchroom where kids sometimes eat by themselves. Friday, students made it a point to sit down with anyone who was alone.

"If you see someone who is sitting alone, you should go up to them and ask them if it's OK to sit with them and be nice to them," 8th grader Quinn Albert said.

Almost everyone here knows how it feels to eat alone.

"It kind of feels like no one really notices you and no one cares about you," 7th grader Jeremy Wells said.

The national No One Eats Alone Day started three years in Marin County. This year 700 schools in 38 states have joined in.

Excluding someone is a type of bullying. This type of isolation almost always has an impact on kids outside the classroom.

Laura Talmus, the founder of Beyond Differences, created this initiative. She said, "When we can find kids who need better connections with others during the lunch time we can prevent bullying and teasing from taking place."

"From there on we're just going to talk to other people see if we can make new friends and help our community grow," 8th grader Robert Wong said.

Students will continue working year round to change the culture there.