“It was the first day of school and my friends and I were so excited that we all had lunch together. Then, I realized I was the only one in my group with South lunch. I refuse to eat my lunch alone, and I will not eat in the bathroom. I thought maybe I could eat in my car, but that wasn’t an option since security would think I had left for food. Ultimately, this girl and I started walking. Mark, our security guard, sped the golf cart our way and turned us around. Although I definitely don’t blame him, (it’s his job) I blame the school policy. It was probably one of the worst first-day lunches I’ve ever had. I was already nervous about the first day and then not being able to debrief with my friends made it all worse,” Jr. Sophia Brown said.
The procedures at lunch have created questions regarding the purposes. Recently, students aren’t allowed to walk between buildings during lunch. “… we ask students to eat lunch in the building where their last class is at: A-3rd hour, B-4th hour. Whatever building you’re in you should eat lunch there, no transferring,” Assistant Principal Michelle Woods said.
Students claim the rules are unfair. “I absolutely think that students should be able to walk between buildings at lunch. I think that being able to switch buildings is good for students as they get to sit with their friends, and having lunch together is good for us socially,” Sr. Katherine O’Brien said. Some students would feel included no matter what because they could sit by their friends. No one would be alone. “Plus no one wants to get bullied for sitting alone,” said O’Brien.
Safety is the administration’s number one concern. Keeping track of numerous students in one space is a huge responsibility. Regulating the student body per building can be challenging. WO staff noticed that at lunch, students were crowding North. “First, it was really hard to manage, not even seats for everyone, food lines took long, and too many people to supervise. It was hard to prepare lunches for the number of kids, if we spread evenly it allows food to be better distributed,” said Woods.
Another disputed topic is only allowing seniors to leave the campus. “I sometimes leave for lunch… I get snacks especially if I have practice after school or if I forgot water or don’t like the school food,” said Sr. Noel Defeyter. Leaving campus for lunch allows students to buy more food to eat for their lunch. School lunch is sometimes not enough for students.
“I wish I could leave for lunch. School lunches aren’t as appetizing and juniors are only one year younger than seniors and we are pretty good drivers so I don’t get the point of not letting us leave,” Brown said.
“We have safety concerns. You need to have a license and be able to drive to leave for lunch,” said Woods. Students question why other grades that have licenses can’t leave for lunch. “I get the safety concerns but if one grade level already does, why can’t the other?” Defeyter said. It’s confusing for students since seniors and juniors are so close in age. “It’s a privilege, it’s something you earn. You have to earn the credit to earn the senior status and now you have the privilege of going out to lunch,” said Woods.
“Honestly, the freshmen just aren’t mature enough. And now sophomores and juniors have something to look forward to that they haven’t had a chance to before.” Not only is it a privilege, but maturity plays a major factor.
The staff has rational reasons for the lunch rules, but some students don’t agree with the lunch procedures. “I think the majority of the student body does a phenomenal job of following the expectations and some just don’t understand,” said Woods. Without knowing the purpose behind the rules, students believe they’re in a place just for admin to take charge. While this may not be true, the rules are in place for a reason.
