No one ate alone at Oak Park Elementary on Wednesday.

Representatives from Louisiana Healthcare Connections visited the school during lunchtime to celebrate No One Eats Alone Day, an annual global initiative that cultivates a culture of connection among students.

Evelyn Foster, supervisor of community relations for Louisiana Healthcare Connections, said they are on a mission to teach Louisiana children about the dangers of social isolation alongside the nonprofit Beyond Differences and the Centene Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Centene Corporation.

This is the ninth year that Louisiana Healthcare Connections has brought NOEA programming to Louisiana schools. Louisiana Healthcare Connections CEO and Plan President Jamie Schlottman said in a release that this is the result of a commitment to addressing “critical student health issues.”

Social isolation leads to both mental and physical repercussions in affected students. Students who feel excluded at school report digestive issues and headaches. Foster told the American Press they have seen an increase in cases of anxiety and depression. If not addressed, the negative consequences of social isolation can reach into the student’s future; dropout rates are higher in students experiencing isolation, she noted.

“It all ends up in a place where it starts to affect them academically because school is no longer a happy place to come.”

Exclusion among peers quietly affects students. This makes it difficult to identify those who are struggling socially.

“Bullying is something that’s been covered so much over the years and it’s so much easier to spot if someone’s kicking somebody or pulling pigtails,” she explained. “But the silence of social isolation is so easy to overlook.”

The program was hosted for fourth and fifth-grade students. This is purposeful. With the transition from elementary school to middle school on the horizon, they aim to imbue students with empathy and the knowledge that they need to keep an eye out for their peers.

“We can get them to a place where they can recognize it before they ever have to experience it and empower them to be the one that stands up and says, ‘OK, even though everybody else isn’t talking to this person, I’m gonna be the one.”

Oak Park Elementary Principal Shaalom St. Mary said she has seen a slight uptick in social isolation in the past few years. As it is not a serious issue on her campus, the “powerful” No One Eats Alone programming is a preventative action.

“Everyone wants to have a sense of belonging. Everybody wants to feel that they have their people, their tribal people,” she said. “School can be a lonely place and when you’re in elementary school, you’re just starting your school career, you have a lot more years to go, so you need to develop those skills now.”

After the students settled in at their circular tables, they watched a live talk show called the “Beyond Differences Show” featuring guests “Inclusion” and “Social Isolation.” As the guests were interviewed, students learned the positive effects of inclusion and the negative effects of exclusion.

During lunch, students met someone new and completed an activity together. The “Hearts and Hands” activity sheet encouraged them to share unique facts about themselves and connect with commonalities.

Louisiana Healthcare Connections has planned two visits this year, lake Charles and Bricolage Academy in New Orleans. But every school in Louisiana can participate and receive the Belonging Box, a kit that includes Social Emotional Learning curriculum, activities and materials to teach students about inclusion and fighting social isolation.