Art by LAUREN YAN
Text by SOFIA ANTEBI and OLIVIA MILNE
Launching Lunch
BREAK TIME REIMAGINED FOR GOING ONLINE
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MBARCADERO ROAD, walk sign on the cross.” As the lunch bell rings, a wave of chatting students floods the narrow crosswalk into Town & Country Village, on the hunt for a midday meal. This scene, once so common to Palo Alto High School students, is a fleeting memory as schools have transitioned to distance learning this fall. For most, lunch now consists of signing off the computer and migrating to the kitchen, a brief break before the next Zoom call. The spirited lunchtimes that shaped the typical Paly experience have dramatically shifted with online school. Town & Country Village Palycculture is significantly influenced by the school’s proximity to Town & Country. On any average afternoon, hundreds of Paly students stampede across Embarcadero Road, heading from the Paly campus to the establishments across the street. “It’s exciting to walk around and see a lot of people you know and I’m just really comfortable there [Town & Country] cause I know it so
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well,” junior Natalie Chueh said. first club meeting] actually went better The shopping center welcomes hun- than I thought, more people engaged with dreds of Paly students for lunch, and many me than I expected,” Anisha Gandhi, Bulplaces even offer a special discount for stu- let Journaling Club President, said. “It was dents. Now, these businesses are taking a just nice for people to have a new place to hit from the loss of their usual lunchtime make friends online.” crowd. When it comes to planning activities, “You guys [Paly students] were a big club leaders have had to think outside of revenue stream,” Genthe box. Senior Aieral Manager of Howleen Wu, co-presie’s Pizza Mike Kelly Sometimes I feel suident of Paly Eco said. “Business has per low during online club, is planning been pretty quiet since to cultivate a fun the start of everything.” school but when I and engaging atThe atmosphere of FaceTime my friends mosphere, even on Town & Country, once Zoom. lively and bustling, is and talk to others it “We definitely now reduced to your always makes me feel don’t want to limaverage, quiet shopit ourselves to just better.” ping center. being informational — BRIGHID BAKER, junior “You guys defipresentations like nitely brought the enyou’re in class,” Wu ergy — with music playing and just gen- said. eral banter and crowd noise,” Kelly said. One benefit of online clubs is apply“I would say it’s a negative effect definitely ing new skills that relate to being at home not having you here.” as opposed to remaining at school. “Usually, in person, we are more foClubs adapt cused on sustainability on campus, but in With distance learning measures, Paly our club meetings we’re doing things like clubs had to adapt to a digital environ- DIYs or other things that would improve ment. sustainability in each student’s home,” Wu The virtual club experience has said. “I think that’s something that we made many activities more wouldn’t have done if we met in person.” difficult, but ultimately, it provides students with Making the most of lunchtime a means to connect with A survey conducted in September others. concluded that 62.7% of students prefer “ I t lunch at school, and 37.3% of students [the prefer being at home. Although most students prefer to eat at school with friends, there are still lots of different ways to connect with the community. “Sometimes I feel super low during online school but when I FaceTime my friends and talk to others it always makes me feel better,” junior Brighid Baker said. v
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