In response to over-packed lunches with students and the safety of the school, former principal Brian Shillingburg decided to change the 50-minute two lunches to 30-minute three lunches starting on Aug. 11, 2023. This distributes the students out more and causes lunches not to be so overwhelmingly packed. Some students weren’t so happy with this change and wanted the old lunch schedule back.
The old lunch schedule is better and the school should do the two lunches again.
First of all, the two lunch schedules were better because we had a whole hour instead of 30 minutes. This gave students time to study for upcoming tests and have more time away from class to socialize with friends. Lunch is a time away from working all day for eight hours straight and to relax with our friends. Now that it’s cut down halfway, students’ minds are always on work and they don’t have as much time anymore in the middle of the school day to chat with friends and take time for themselves. Students used to take the extra 30 minutes to study for tests after lunch and review right before the test, but now they don’t have as much time.
Although students don’t have as much time to work on classwork or study, they also don’t have space anymore to walk around with their friends. The school has now cut off areas to walk around in during lunch that we were allowed to walk through last year. This now only allows students to sit down during lunch when some of us prefer to walk around and let loose. After sitting down for 8 hours all day in a classroom we really should be allowed to walk around and move our legs. If lunch is getting cut down to 30 minutes we might as well be allowed to walk around at least with our friends and let go like last year. Now we all just have to sit down with our lunches and talk for 30 minutes, then head back to class which isn’t very helpful for those that used to see lunch as a break from class.
Lastly, two lunches are better than being split into three because now our chances of having friends in our lunches have decreased since students are being divided among three lunches. Many students don’t have people that they’re friends with in their lunches, leaving them alone for 30 minutes. When lunch was split into two, students all could at least find one person they knew, but now they’re a lot smaller, and fewer people are in each other’s lunches, resulting in low chances of being with friends.
Almost all students have expressed their feelings about the new lunch schedule, and more than half dislike it and wish to have the old one back for these reasons. 96% of students responded to the RoundUp poll agreeing that they want to keep the two-lunch schedule. About 92% of students say they dislike the new schedule and want the old one back. Some students may like the new lunch schedule because it’s shorter and more convenient for them since they just see lunch as a time to eat and get back to work, but it’s just very draining after some time and stressful, since what we once saw as a time to relax and take time away from working all day is now just a time to grab some food and go. This can lead to a lot of stress for some students over time and anxiety.
The school needs to consider students’ feelings and think about bringing back the old lunch schedule of two lunches instead of three. If the problem is too many students being in the cafeteria at once, this can be fixed by increasing the size. The school could add more tables or space which may take time, but it could really help out the students and make them feel happier in the environment they have to be in for the next four years.
