First Lady Melania Trump spreads message of inclusion in West Bloomfield

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) - The First Lady of the United States visited West Bloomfield on Monday as part of her commitment to end bullying and was joined by Michigan native and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Melania Trump flew into Detroit Monday morning to visit with students at Orchard Lake Middle School to ensure 'no one eats alone'. She encouraged students to make new friends and told them that she always says to treat others with kindness, compassion, and respect.

The First Lady met with students and teachers, posed for selfies, and shook hands during her lunch stop.

The students were loud, excited, laughing, and joking but the emphasis Monday was inclusion.

"I encourage you today find a new friend and have lunch with that friend," Melania Trump said.

The visit is part of an effort at schools across the country called No One Eats Alone.

"This school in particular doing some wonderful things to make sure every child - every student feels included in their day and in their education," DeVos said.

The students were certainly on board with that.

"It's not right for kids to get bullied and have to eat alone - it's not right - and i feel like it's amazing how teachers and even the United States First Lady has acknowledged it so much," Khalilah McKinney said.

"It's also important - like - make new friends, make people feel included so no one feels like an outcast so I think that's a really good message to spread," student Bryce Hairston said.

A commitment to inclusion tranlates into the classroom and across the curriculum. Teacher Susie Aisner attended Orchard Lake Middle School and now works hard to challenge her students not only academically, but in social and emotional learning as well.

During the First Lady's visit, she sat in on a class project and shared her thoughts with sixth graders.

"I always believe in treating others with respect and kindness and compassion," Trump said.

Principal Morrison Borders says those ideas and ideals cut across party lines.

"We run multiple programs that address that, address how we treat each other, what does respect look like? What does it sound like? So this is right up our alley of things we do every day," Borders said.

Doing this with the First Lady of the United States is not something they do every day.

"How many middle school kids can say they sat down and ate lunch with the first lady - not very many," Borders said.