Open Campus Lunches
As someone who goes home to eat lunch almost every day now I can assure you that open campus lunches would be popular amongst students. That being said, I understand the reason that North Scott got rid of open campus lunch after people abused this power freshman year and took things too far. However, we as a student body should be given another chance because of the many options and benefits that an open campus lunch provides. There are a variety of reasons why open campus lunches may even be a necessity for certain students, and while high school lunch was promised to be better than anything we had in the past, it has not lived up to the billing the very few times I have decided to walk through that agonizingly long lunch line.
Open campus lunches gives students freedom that they otherwise would not have. It gives us a feeling of independence and helps to develop skills of managing our time, money, and schedules as we will have to do in the future. Allowing this would be beneficial in preparing us for the freedoms of college and the variety of different lunch options available for college students to choose from rather than a set meal structure that stays pretty similar at North Scott. It feels as if pizza or some kind of chicken sandwich is always on the menu and does not give students what they are looking for at lunch time, which can cause some students to bring a lunch from home that better fits their needs. Particularly in a town like Eldridge, where we have a close-knit community that is all about family and supporting each other, allowing open campus lunch makes it easy for students to support local businesses. In turn, these restaurants will see an increase in business because they are the only places students will have time to grab a quick bite to eat and still get back to class on time. Going along with this, some kids need to eat at these places anyways, because for less fortunate students school lunch can be expensive and also be their only chance to eat that day making it critical they get the nourishment that they need.
A short break that allows students to get out of school and crowded lunch rooms to reset their mind is critical. Not only does this plan to implement open campus lunch benefit students but it also will benefits teachers and staff as well. High school students nowadays are being put in learning environments that are fast paced and school days that are too long and tiring. Our brains are still developing and the least faculty can do is allow students to find food that nourishes them and gives them energy to get through the day which school lunch menus often cannot provide. A study at Importance of Eating further elaborates,
"research has shown that students are able to learn better when they’re well nourished, and eating healthy meals has been linked to higher grades, better memory and alertness, and faster information processing.”
I have also noticed here at North Scott but for many other schools as well this also holds true, the lunchroom is often overcrowded and sometimes leaves kids sitting alone or not being able to find a spot for themselves and friends. Lunches are not distributed evenly, resulting in a swarm of kids clamoring for a seat, leaving other students hanging out to dry.
Another issue that can be aggravating is people who have claimed their positions for the semester and refuse to give them up. A simple solution to all of these problems is simply allowing students to leave for lunch leaving the lunch room less crowded and giving students that want to eat at school a chance to be with their friends and find a place to sit. While some concerns arise in safety of students and whether or not students will actually come back to school, this is the purpose of allowing students an open campus in itself. If a student chooses not to come back to school they are only hurting their own learning and chances in the future, and as for the safety aspect, myself included I am willing to take this risk to be able to have a more enjoyable lunch without the noise of the cafeteria. If we want this to happen as a student body, it is important to let others know and get it to the school board so that we can enjoy a happier and healthier lunch however we please.
