No Time To Dine

Opinion By Natalie Zielinksi

Humans have evolved to be in a constant state of action. Having the ability to run, play, and learn keeps people healthy and in a state of enjoyment. While school definitely keeps the learning aspect of living, it doesn’t always take into account the importance of being active. 7th and 8th grade only have 15 minutes of recess to relieve the pressures of school work, the lunch only lasting the same amount. Obviously this seems insane for children and timed from when they sat down to eat until when they were instructed to line up. They recorded 9 minutes and 32 seconds. teenagers to only have a total of 30 minutes for a break in the stress of the school day. When walking through the halls, there are signs advertising at least one hour of physical activity a day, and yet most days we do not reach this goal. Of course, there is the measly 40 minutes of P.E, which can be quite enjoyable, but it is only present once a week, for a very brief period. In reality, our lunch and recess time are far too short.

After discussions with many middle school peers, I have noticed that the mental health of the student body in the upper grades has been struggling. The article ‘Nurtured by Nature,’ by Kirstan Weir, a text explaining the cognitive benefits of being outdoors says, “Exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation.” Aren’t these attributes the very ideal for students? I believe they are. And could there be a correlation between

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