Thursday, October 27th, 2022
Feature
The Pepperbox | Page 21
Free lunch means lunch line wait time Jasmine McKnight Business Manager
O
n a regular day at Arcata High School, the Tiger Cafe lunch line stretches out the front doors of the Fine Arts Building. The immense popularity of the lunch program seems to be attributed to the NOHUM district offering free food services to all students, regardless of financial means. “The school lunch program seems to be busier this year than it was last year,” Chef Adam Timek said, Students have opinions about this situation.
“The line is always so long,” sophomore, Malea Melendrez, said. Even though the line is so lengthy, she doesn’t see a feasible solution. “I feel like there’s no way to make it go faster because everyone just wants lunch, and the staff are already so efficient,” Melendrez added. Even though the lunch line is so long, many students have arrived at a consensus that it really isn’t that unreasonable. “I’d say it’s pretty long, but it goes by pretty quickly sometimes,” junior, Jared Pereira, said. Some students have come up with methods to speed up the process. A common observance is
cutting in the line. Most students however do not seem bothered by this issue. “I don’t care,” said junior, junior, Alexander Duarte said. In order to combat the long lines, students have also adopted strategies to get to the line quicker from class. “It usually doesn’t take me that long because I am skillful in the way I leave class,” said sophomore, Kyler Truesdell said. Some students have developed an alternative approach. “If I go later [in the lunch period,] there’s no line,” junior, Noah Macknicki said. Some students even suggest waiting until the last ten minutes
of lunch to avoid the line completely. There are even more proposals that would make the line go faster. Pereira suggested having more than one food station to allow students to get their lunch quicker. Other students, along with Timek, recognize that the line would not take as long if people paid better attention to the line’s movement and made sure to have their student ID numbers prepared ahead of time. If students have suggestions for improvements to the school lunch program, Timek is always open to suggestions. “I’m here to serve the students. It’s all about keeping the student body happy, that makes me happy.”
The tiger opportunity center opens! Madelyn Coneley Co-Editor-in-Chief
T
his 2022-23 school year is filled with many new additions to Arcata High. One of these new additions to the school is the Tiger Opportunity Center, or the T.O.C., that is located one door down from the library. The TOC contains the Indian Education Center, TRiO, the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), Arcata High’s work experience class, and members of the Yurok Tribe who provide tutoring services for students. Arcata High’s Career and College coordinator, Darcy Robins, was the creator of the TOC. “I’d really like to spread the word about TRiO and the resources for Native American students. Not so much the existence of the Tiger Opportunity Center but of all the organizations that students have
access to,” Robins said. Vanessa Cota, a college advisor and TRiO employee, is just one of the members a part of the TOC. TRIO supports students who are low income or first generation college students. “I basically meet with students and do workshops, field trips, and I answer any questions about academics, study skills, life skills, financial aid, college and career prep,” Cota said. Other organizations present in the TOC are Cal-SOAP and the work experience class. Valentin Velazco, a success coach for CalSOAP, helps students with their opportunities after high school and financial aid. Katie Woerner, an instructor from the College of the Redwoods is the teacher for Work Experience this year. This class is where students receive credit for the hours they work. “I’ve enjoyed being in the T.O.C. and learning about different help-
ing professions and being able to bounce ideas off of people,” Woerner said. Now in the TOC, Indian Ed. can advise the Native American Club meetings and assist Native students with whatever they need. According to an Indian Ed. staff member, Sheila Richards, “Indian Ed. assists in removing barriers that Native kids will have in the school system. We make sure they have everything they need to succeed here in school and beyond.” Indian Ed. and Yurok Tribe members in the same space have increased the support for Native American students. However, with the combination of many other organizations in the same place, scheduling conflicts can occur. “I do miss the privacy,” Richards said. So far, the T.O.C. proves to be beneficial for students and even staff members who consistently
have a place to work. Students are encouraged to visit the T.O.C. if they have any questions or concerns regarding their future or current academics.
Madelyn Conley/PEPPERBOX
The Tiger Opportunity Center sign posted outside the doorway next to the library.