Four lunches proving to be better than three
"School lunch" by chidorian is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
BY NIKO TUOHEY and HANNAH HIGGINS
December 22, 2021
The 2021-2022 school year has brought many challenges. As students returned to school in person for five days a week, one of the biggest challenges Bonny Eagle faced was keeping everybody safe. Perhaps one of the most profound changes was the change to the lunch schedule.
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Bonny Eagle High School introduced outside eating, which successfully kept students socially distanced. If students preferred to eat outdoors, they could eat under the tent or in the courtyard.
“People felt more comfortable outside, and they were able to take their masks off. Having that extra space also held a lot of people, which was really nice,” said Selena Leavitt, our Dean of Students. Still, a few problems did arise.
One challenge that came along with eating outdoors was the bees, which was a problem experienced state-wide. However, as the weather got colder and the tent came down, eating outside was no longer an option. Because of this, the administration team introduced the four-lunch schedule, which gave students four lunch blocks instead of three.
“We knew we had to do something because we were losing the outside tent, and it would be impossible to keep everyone distanced in the rooms we have inside,” Ms. Leavitt explained.
Another reason for the four-lunch schedule was to avoid using the gym for lunches.
“If we put desks in the gym this year, it would affect a lot more than just block four. Kids wouldn’t be able to have a normal schedule as we wouldn’t have enough time to move 150 desks in-and-out,” said Ms. Leavitt.
Susan Porter, Bonny Eagle kitchen manager, believes that the four-lunch schedule has been going well so far.
“It gives us more time in between to restock and get things ready for the next group that comes through. I see more kids coming to lunch every day, which makes me very happy. Sometimes the schedules are different or off, or kids come earlier than they should, but that’s okay. They’ve been patient, and I appreciate that,” she says.
Zackary Metayer, a Bonny Eagle freshman, also believes that the new schedule and the function of the school days is going well. He really likes the change, and it does not affect how he feels about lunch or the schedule as it is. A good thing about it is that everyone is spread out and able to social distance, as it is a COVID protocol to avoid crowded areas where the risk is severe.
Zackary said that he is glad that the portion of students assigned to the tents are now able to be in a warmer setting as the weeks get colder and we approach winter time. Another good thing about it is the fact that a lot of students, including Zackary, are still able to keep friendships and bond in their assigned places during lunch and the study hall portion of the day. Yet Zackary says that even if he didn’t have his friends to talk to, it wouldn’t affect how he felt about the lunch change.
Something positive about this is that everyone is comfortable with the arrangements that were made to keep everybody safe and happy at school. The first day of the new lunch schedule did have many confused people asking for help on where to go, but during the second day it was a bit easier for students to navigate their way and get to their place without taking up too much time.
The study hall portion is also very helpful, as it gives all students an extra 20-30 minutes to catch up on their assignments and summatives.
It’s going to be a long four months of winter this year, but as springtime rolls in, students will hopefully be back to eating outside again.
December 22, 2021
The 2021-2022 school year has brought many challenges. As students returned to school in person for five days a week, one of the biggest challenges Bonny Eagle faced was keeping everybody safe. Perhaps one of the most profound changes was the change to the lunch schedule.
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Bonny Eagle High School introduced outside eating, which successfully kept students socially distanced. If students preferred to eat outdoors, they could eat under the tent or in the courtyard.
“People felt more comfortable outside, and they were able to take their masks off. Having that extra space also held a lot of people, which was really nice,” said Selena Leavitt, our Dean of Students. Still, a few problems did arise.
One challenge that came along with eating outdoors was the bees, which was a problem experienced state-wide. However, as the weather got colder and the tent came down, eating outside was no longer an option. Because of this, the administration team introduced the four-lunch schedule, which gave students four lunch blocks instead of three.
“We knew we had to do something because we were losing the outside tent, and it would be impossible to keep everyone distanced in the rooms we have inside,” Ms. Leavitt explained.
Another reason for the four-lunch schedule was to avoid using the gym for lunches.
“If we put desks in the gym this year, it would affect a lot more than just block four. Kids wouldn’t be able to have a normal schedule as we wouldn’t have enough time to move 150 desks in-and-out,” said Ms. Leavitt.
Susan Porter, Bonny Eagle kitchen manager, believes that the four-lunch schedule has been going well so far.
“It gives us more time in between to restock and get things ready for the next group that comes through. I see more kids coming to lunch every day, which makes me very happy. Sometimes the schedules are different or off, or kids come earlier than they should, but that’s okay. They’ve been patient, and I appreciate that,” she says.
Zackary Metayer, a Bonny Eagle freshman, also believes that the new schedule and the function of the school days is going well. He really likes the change, and it does not affect how he feels about lunch or the schedule as it is. A good thing about it is that everyone is spread out and able to social distance, as it is a COVID protocol to avoid crowded areas where the risk is severe.
Zackary said that he is glad that the portion of students assigned to the tents are now able to be in a warmer setting as the weeks get colder and we approach winter time. Another good thing about it is the fact that a lot of students, including Zackary, are still able to keep friendships and bond in their assigned places during lunch and the study hall portion of the day. Yet Zackary says that even if he didn’t have his friends to talk to, it wouldn’t affect how he felt about the lunch change.
Something positive about this is that everyone is comfortable with the arrangements that were made to keep everybody safe and happy at school. The first day of the new lunch schedule did have many confused people asking for help on where to go, but during the second day it was a bit easier for students to navigate their way and get to their place without taking up too much time.
The study hall portion is also very helpful, as it gives all students an extra 20-30 minutes to catch up on their assignments and summatives.
It’s going to be a long four months of winter this year, but as springtime rolls in, students will hopefully be back to eating outside again.