I’m not asking you to imagine, only to remember. You’re sitting in a classroom waiting a half hour for lunch to start. Your WI-FI is causing problems again. You’re by yourself or with a limited number of friends. Do you remember? I’m talking about homerooms. While there are many pandemic-related benefits for homerooms, the new lunch and learn schedule is a huge improvement from where we were.

From a student’s perspective, the new schedule gives us a better chance to be productive. The library is a peaceful (though crowded) place to get your work done, talk to friends, or maybe play games, and “quiet classrooms” allow for a more uncongested place to stay and get work done.

Another positive of the lunch and learn schedule is the extra help opportunities it provides. Teachers offer extra help on two days out of the six-day cycle. Before this schedule was implemented, a student would have had to come to school early or stay after school late. Abby Harris (‘25) wrote, “lunch and learn is a great time to get extra help or go to club meetings so that we don’t have to do it after school. I personally have a very busy schedule so having lunch and learn let’s me get extra help without having to stay after school or go early!”

One of the biggest positives of the current schedule is social time, with more time to spend with friends. One student, Sam Lolli (‘25), expanded on the positives of social time when she wrote, “being with my friends more releases a lot of stress for me.”

Another student, Holly Cowan (‘24) wrote, “we have more flexibility to do whatever we want in the school instead of just sitting in a classroom for 30 minutes.” Some of the options where one can go during lunch and learn include: the East & Dibart gyms, the courtyards, the lunchrooms, or even the track. These options, according to Dylan Hammer (‘25), give “students the chance to seek extra help and spend more time with friends.”

However, some don’t feel the same as other students about the lunch and learn schedule. Liyah Mezilus (‘23) wrote, “most importantly, I think we’re forgetting something important. The teachers?! You might be surprised, but some of these teachers are actually not eating lunch just so they can assist us.”

Also, there is the situation in the library, which was mentioned by many students. The library is often so overcrowded, people have to stand or even share seats. At this point, many students are dismissed from the library just so it can avoid getting even more chaotic than it already is. This is an even bigger issue than some might realize, especially right now because of COVID-19.

But, just as Jenna McGovern (‘24) wrote, “I’ve heard mixed things about the lunch and learn schedule, however, I actually really like it. There are both positives and negatives of the new Lunch & Learn schedule, such as the overcrowded library or overworked teachers, as with anything in general. But the schedule is here, and it seems it is definitely in the good books.