Tomorrow, students from at least 30 schools around Tampa Bay will be among thousands nationally who take part in Mix It Up at Lunch Day, an annual event sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It's designed to build bridges between students of different races, cultures and backgrounds.

In Pinellas, diversity and tolerance might be worth talking about given the rapid resegregation of some schools. Then again, we're sure somebody somewhere is muttering the words "socialist indoctrination." Here's what some Pinellas schools will be doing tomorrow, according to a district press release:

• At Belleair Elementary, students entering the cafeteria will have their hands stamped with different colored stamps and be directed to sit at color-coded tables. There "they will have lunch with students they do not know and have the opportunity to make new friends."
• At Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle, students will receive different colored candies and sit in corresponding tables. They'll also be taking part in a contest "creating songs or poetry that reflect the importance of 'mixing it up' and meeting new people."

(2008 Times file photo of students at Wiregrass Ranch High in Wesley Chapel)

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