Launching lunch

Launching Lunch BREAK TIME REIMAGINED FOR GOING ONLINE E“ MBARCADERO ROAD, walk sign on the cross.” As the lunch bell rings, a wave of chatting students floods the narrow crosswell,” junior Natalie Chueh said. The shopping center welcomes hundreds of Paly students for lunch, and many places even offer a special discount for stufirst club meeting] actually went better than I thought, more people engaged with me than I expected,” Anisha Gandhi, Bullet Journaling Club President, said. “It was walk into Town & Country Village, on the dents. Now, these businesses are taking a just nice for people to have a new place to hunt for a midday meal. This scene, once hit from the loss of their usual lunchtime make friends online.” so common to Palo Alto High School stu- crowd. When it comes to planning activities, dents, is a fleeting memory as schools have “You guys [Paly students] were a big club leaders have had to think outside of 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 revenue stream,” General Manager of Howie’s Pizza Mike Kelly said. “Business has been pretty quiet since the start of everything.” “Sometimes I feel super low during online school but when I the box. Senior Aileen Wu, co-president of Paly Eco club, is planning to cultivate a fun and engaging atdramatically shifted with online school. The atmosphere of FaceTime my friends mosphere, even on

Town & Country Village Town & Country, once lively and bustling, is and talk to others it Zoom. “We definitely Palycculture is significantly influ- now reduced to your always makes me feel don’t want to limenced by the school’s proximity to Town & Country. On any average afternoon, hundreds of Paly students stampede across average, quiet shopping center. “You guys defi better.” — BRIGHID BAKER, junior it ourselves to just being informational presentations like

Embarcadero Road, heading from the Paly nitely brought the en- you’re in class,” Wu campus to the establishments across the ergy — with music playing and just gen- said. street. eral banter and crowd noise,” Kelly said. One benefit of online clubs is apply“It’s exciting to “I would say it’s a negative effect definitely ing new skills that relate to being at home walk around and not having you here.” as opposed to remaining at school. see a lot of peo- “Usually, in person, we are more fople you know Clubs adapt cused on sustainability on campus, but in and I’m just re- With distance learning measures, Paly our club meetings we’re doing things like ally comfortable clubs had to adapt to a digital environ- DIYs or other things that would improve there [Town & ment. sustainability in each student’s home,” Wu Country] cause The virtual club experience has said. “I think that’s something that we I know it so 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 “It 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