Lunch: the most relaxing part of the entire school day. You have a chance to talk with friends, study, talk to teachers and most importantly, eat, relax and recharge. But, for every student relaxing during lunch, many are stressed.
They’re not stressing themselves out over academics, but instead, they’re worrying if they’ll have enough time to eat their lunch. Lunch blocks are 30 minutes long and I have spent up to 25 minutes in the lines, leaving me only five minutes to scarf down my lunch.
The lines have gotten so long that I’ve started recording how long it has taken me to get food. In 22 Tappan, I have spent up to 22 minutes in the hot lunch line, leaving eight minutes for me to eat. At the sandwich deli, where you can pick out your own sandwich combination, I spent up to 36 minutes in line, which took my entire lunch and cut into the passing time before my next class.
To make matters even worse, many students prioritize themselves and do whatever they can to get to the front of the line. They push others out of the way, cut the line and do almost anything they can just to get their food.
Keep in mind, I eat lunch in the 22 Tappan building where everything is newer and better. Imagine what it looks like in the main building where three grades eat lunch.
It’s incredibly frustrating to stand around for the majority of my lunch block waiting for a gross meal. We could have a fundraiser and use that money to purchase a new registration system; currently, there is typically only one register in use in the 22 Tappan Building. There are also typically only two registers in use in the main building, which makes things incredibly inefficient.
Things are made even slower because most students do not have school IDs. Everyone has to type in their names at the register instead of scanning a card or entering a pin. If everyone got a school ID, everything could be much quicker! At the William H. Lincoln middle school, students were given cards that worked similarly to IDs and it was much more efficient.
It’s time to give us our lunchtime back. We have busy days and stressful schedules. For most of us, lunch is our only break in the day. We shouldn’t have to spend the entire time waiting for our food.
