A quick bite?

Remember when lunch used to be your favorite period of the day? Nowadays the lunch bell rings around 10:18 a.m. and half of the student population at Palmer High School stampedes down the stairs to the bottom floor to eat in the cafeteria. Unless a lunch is brought from home, one must wait a good five to 10 minutes in the hot lunch line. After you survive the intense competition required to select and purchase a lunch, you come out with a tray full of food that doesn’t appear very appetizing. You may discover that it doesn’t taste very good either. Troubles compound when the bell rings 20 minutes later and you haven’t had much time to finish your meal, let alone socialize with your friends.

These are a couple of the problems I find with the new lunch period at Palmer High. Then again, I just returned from Switzerland on an exchange program. Students enjoyed at least an hour for lunch, and food in the cafeteria was made fresh every day by a semi-professional chef. Not only that, the school held a total open-campus policy, which allowed students to buy food elsewhere. My experience is obviously unique. But other students at Palmer High share the same struggles every day.

“It’s frustrating to have the lunches cut to 30 minutes. I have had quite a few days this year where I literally didn’t have time to eat,” said PHS senior Kcie Owens. “My time is spent running around to get help from teachers, because after school it’s hard to get anything done. Since we don’t have those extended lunches, clubs are moved to after the day ends. So instead of having that time after school for assistance from teachers, I’m using the time after the last bell for extra-curricular activities.”

In my freshman year, everyone experienced a six-period day, a 30-minute advisory period, and a half hour lunch. During the combined hour for advisory and lunch it was possible to seek help with schoolwork or to participate in a club. In my sophomore year at Palmer, the administration instituted the Palmer High Academic Recovery Measures or PHARM. Students who fell below a certain grade point average attended PHARM time to receive academic help, and received only a half hour lunch. Students whose GPA met the minimum requirement enjoyed the privilege of an hour-long lunch. When I returned to school this semester I was confronted with the addition of a seven-period day and a shortened lunch break. The seven-period day, which introduces a whole different set of problems as mentioned in Casey Branch’s Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman article, “Learning takes time,” necessitates the shortened lunch.

This current schedule is not exclusive to Palmer High. Wasilla and Colony also offer 30-minute lunches this year, with a similar short lunch span granted in years past. There must be a reason for making lunch so short. Obviously administrators have seen the effects of a longer lunch period, but they may be oblivious to the importance of a relaxed social time for students.

“The purpose of the 30-minute lunch period is to maximize class and learning time for the students,” said Palmer High Vice Principal Garth Morgan.

The overall objective of going to high school is to learn. All things considered, this is a reasonable justification for the short lunch span and the addition of one class period per day. However, many upperclassmen don’t need a full schedule of classes to fill out the seven-period day. Some students select a less serious class for the shorter fourth period that cuts into lunch and/or free time. And, come on, let’s face it, high school isn’t just about academics. It’s about well-rounded student citizens who participate in extracurricular activities, including sports, clubs, community service, and various social events. Lunchtime can offer all these opportunities including the chance to meet with friends who don’t share your class schedule.

In my opinion, the district is taking on too much responsibility that rightfully belongs to students and their families. Schools in the Mat-Su initiated seven-period days to try and help students make up missed or failed classes. Students must learn to discipline themselves enough to get through high school on their own. Parents must take responsibility to see that their children do their work and complete the classes necessary to graduate.

Secondly, to accommodate the seven-period day, our schools have cut lunchtime for all students. This limits the time to eat. It also allows no time for advisory assistance from teachers or participation in extracurricular activities, not to mention valuable social time.

Both of these issues short change students who work hard and strive to go beyond the basic requirements of a secondary education. Time and time again students who take school seriously are forced to endure the consequences inflicted for those who haven’t held themselves accountable. As one of the more responsible students, I believe that it is time that we stop this treacherous thievery, and that for once we see a repercussion that suits the needs of the assiduous, one which gives us back what is rightfully ours.

Kaden Weaver is a senior at Palmer High School.