Time to Stop HOW LUNCH TIMES TAKES A TOLL ON STUDENTS AND TEACHERS Photo and Story By Colvin Parvin
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unch is a time for students to eat and enjoy their time, not a time for And it causes a problem with students when it comes to being in class when they need to worry about getting their third tardy and having lunch on time, how much learning they are getting done, and how much studeten-tion for an issue out of their control. Thankfully however, 56% of dents really get to enjoy themselves at school. I know for myself I students feel that they have enough time to eat and enjoy themselves, whether they are would use school as an outlet to see friends and maybe even meet new staying at the school or if they are leaving. That leaves 44% of students feeling like people but unfortunately, I couldnât do that and I was limited to seeing they donât have the time to enjoy their lunch. This is in favor of the lunches being one or two people because I didnât have the time to make a couple enough time, however those numbers are still way too close. walks around the whole building and eat a good Unfortunately, with that many students feeling they have lunch. enough time, students are still debating about whether they So, what did it feel like to have multiple have the time to eat and enjoy time with their friends with our different schedules in one year, let alone six in four? Well, for most seniors, weâve had to adapt. current schedule. The seniors and juniors donât have a lot of It is our last year and some of us canât wait to time to go get food from their preferred fast-food restaurant, get out, so we just settle with what weâve got. and then make it to class on time. However, the freshman and sophomores will This year we have suffered a massive increase in tardies get used to the construction schedule which will after lunch alone because students canât make it to class on make it even harder for them to change it again time. Or, they are making it to class but they are not getting a OF SENIOR STUDENTS LEAVE in the future. We feel like we havenât had a set chance to eat properly. And with them not being able to eat in DURING LUNCH, WHILE ONLY 33% schedule except for our freshman year. And class, it makes it even harder for them. STAY. AS FOR JUNIORS, 60% LEAVE some of us donât even remember it. So what There are, however, multiple ways that we can resolve caused all this chaos? Once construction was the issue. One solution would be to allow access to other enWHEREAS 40% STAY, ACCORDING done, the schedule was moved back to the pritrances such as the old entrance to the school, allowing stuTO A SURVEY OF 91 STUDENTS. or schedule. Causing the overall layout and flat dents to come into the school from that side of the building, plan for the school to be changed entirely and cutting passing times essentially in half. Some seniors and for the students to have to adapt just as much if juniors park on Liberty Street outside of the senior parking lot because they do not want to deal with a lot of traffic, which results in tardiness not more than the teachers. When the seniors were freshmen, they had a schedule that was due because they can only come in through the âBlueâ building. The issue with this, though, is that we donât have the faculty to watch the entrance. If we could get one to the construction of the new school. It was deemed the âConstruction faculty member, whether it be a teacher, counselor, or even a custodian for the time Schedule.â This schedule was for the students that had to park at the football field and students that couldnât park close to the school. Howbeing. It would allow us to get to class on time no matter where we park. The faculty havenât felt any major changes as far as their lunch is concerned ever with the new building, and where the parking is now it is the same since they have always been given a mandatory 30-minute lunch break every day, distance for some students because they are still having to park at the however, teachers are not supposed to do any form of work during this lunch. This football field and walk all the way to A hall. The construction schedule mandatory lunch is required by law and has been required for years. This means is what the seniors got used to and had for the first two years of their that during their lunch they can not supervise the halls, watch the other entrances high school education. Once construction was done, however, we were for students coming in or out during lunch, or even make sure that people are be- put back onto the original schedule that was in place before the seniors having themselves during lunch. The responsibility falls on counseling staff and started high school. The schedule allotted a 32-minute lunch, and that custodians, which, frankly, isnât their job to do. This will also make it hard for them just isnât enough time with the distance of some classes and only one entrance open. to watch other entrances and allow students to come in through the old building. I think that with the schedule we have now we are getting time to eat One reason seniors struggle adjusting is because they have seen around six to seven different schedules, based on online school and in-person school since and maybe see some friends and talk about what is going on for spirit COVID-19 started. The freshman and juniors have seen three to four different week, or what the latest episode of âWhat If?â is about. 40 minutes is schedules with the same dependents. This alone could cause some concern amongst enough time for students to get to class, but itâs not enough time for the the students because how do they know when a schedule is going to finally stick. students to get to their classes at a reasonable time.
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THE WHIRLWIND
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