Hope Rosenblatt, For Eastside
November 13, 2014
Most people have the impression that lunch periods in school are a time for relaxation from your difficult classes in the morning, but the real truth about lunch may be hard to swallow.
At Cherry Hill East, two cafeterias are available for students each day, cafeteria one and cafeteria two. Simple right? Wrong. There are only two lunch periods which means while half the school is eating lunch, the other half is in homeroom.
Of course many students sit outside on the benches and tables that are offered but as the weather drops temperature, no one can be expected to eat their sandwich in the snow. Eventually, all students will have to move inside during their lunch, only to find that all the tables in both cafeterias have already been claimed. Now they are left to find a new place to make their own. Sometimes, even the hallway.
Many students have made the choice to take their brown paper bags or their school lunch trays and line up with their back against the wall while sitting on the floor to eat lunch. The list goes on and on about where people have chosen to spend their twenty five minutes to eat. The library, a favorite teachers classroom, guidance, etc. The options are endless.
All students should have the chance to sit in the cafeteria for lunch. That is why we have cafeterias in the school. Cafeterias are places where people eat, just as the hallways are where people walk, the classrooms where students learn and the library where people read. Some ways the school can fix this problem is to add more tables into the cafeteria. By putting more tables in the back of the room near the doors to go outside where there is space available, more students will be able to eat their lunch in the cafeterias. It is important for students to have a place to go when it is time for lunch and it is the school’s responsibility to make sure that the cafeterias are open for everyone.
Next time you start making your way to lunch, take a look around. Look in the library as you pass it, see the students filling up the tables in the brisk air, notice the students sitting on the floor in the hallways and watch your peers crammed into a cafeteria. Because of the unavailability of space, lunch can be actually stressful. Chew on that.
