top of page
  • Lauren Bortner and Eli Sandler

Cafeteria Chaos

Let's talk about lunch, one of the best parts of the day for many students. It’s when you get to see your friends, have a break from your classes, and eat some (hopefully) yummy food. This year we have a new schedule (once again). The new schedule provides big changes, as expected, including a new lunch “situation” - so we wanted to explain it and grasp how EHS students feel about it.


Never in a million years would we expect to have a second cafeteria, let alone a second ¨kitchen,¨ especially in the wrestling room of all places. Some may (fairly) ask: why the wrestling room?


This option gives us a chance to get food if we’re in a rush and using the gym adds space to eat because more students are eating lunch at the same time. We were surprised to find out that the lunch line in the wrestling room is very short compared to the original (OG) cafeteria. The former Wrestling Room boasts whole freezers for drinks and a mini food-service stand. These additions are very innovative and create new solutions, such as a pre-heating system for sandwiches.


Unfortunately, however, not many people are trying out the new cafeteria. A significant reason for this is that the OG cafeteria is closer to students’ classes. Some students just want to avoid walking a distance that measures about 40 feet. Many are also concerned that the cafeteria is in the gym, a place dedicated to exercise, which inevitably leads to, well… sweat (we can almost smell the Axe body spray).


“Did we get the same lunch period?” asked every EHS student before the change. But now that we only have two lunch periods, most if not all of your friends will probably have the same period as you. An anonymous junior said, “I like that a lot more people are in the lunchroom, a lot more friends there.” When you have lunch with a bunch of friends, you will have a better support system and better group communication. Students, whether returning or new, may make more friends. Furthermore, fewer students will likely feel left out of the group.


One comment we heard from almost every student we spoke to is that the original lunchroom is extremely crowded. This is mainly due to putting three grades into one period for lunch. Ever since lunch went from four periods to two, we kept asking whether our lunch can fit all of these kids? The addition of the secondary cafeteria has helped the situation. However, many students are reluctant to sit there, making the OG cafeteria extremely overpopulated.


“There’s not enough time to eat your food once you get it because the lines are so long.”


The number of people buying lunch at the same time is also very large. One student said, “There’s not enough time to eat your food once you get it because the lines are so long.”Although the line is hectic, the cafeteria workers are doing a commendable job of getting through the line quickly. As one remarked, “Every day is getting better… It’s just an adjustment. Change is good”.


In years past, some students faced the conceivably larger problem of eating super early when they had just eaten breakfast or being starved until they got those curly fries they'd been craving all day. Such hunger hardly promotes student focus in class. We should also note that when we had lunch from periods four through seven, it was chaos for hours. Now, whatever disarray occurs, it will span a much shorter time period.


The new lunch schedule provides great benefits and challenges. Opinions, of course, will vary from student to student. Whatever one thinks, one must adjust to a new reality, a process that will surely continue as we approach adulthood.


bottom of page