Waiting in line for 15 minutes to get one plate of food that you will scarf down in a few minutes so you can get some ice cream and run to finish the homework due next period, we all know that feeling. Lunch periods are too short, they last for 30 minutes and the line stretches halfway down the athletic hallway if you don’t get to lunch at least five minutes early. The average high school teenager should be eating approximately 500-700 calories for lunch, this means around two servings of the main course, depending on many factors such as what the main course is, if you eat dessert, your age, size, etc.

Research has also shown that learning varies directly with your stomach. If you do not have enough calories in your system you will not be able to learn proficiently or pay as much attention. Students need time to travel from the cafeteria to their class which could be in the temporary classrooms or in the art wing, typically a two to three minute walk. That time does not include washing your hands or using the bathroom, picking up your backpack or getting some water. Some students also skip lunch to catch up on work, this is not healthy for their bodies and the quality of their work would most likely not be as good as it could be. If a skips lunch to get work done they would be hungry for the rest of the day which would not be healthy. All of these reasons delay students from arriving to class on time; therefore allowing them to be marked late, it also stops students from obtaining a good amount of nutrition for the day. Not having a good lunch is bad, but it can be worse. If students stay after school for extracurriculars such as sports, plays, music or something else not having enough calories when exerting energy will cause discomfort and is bad for your body. This can affect your performance in a negative manner given you will not have as much energy.

Nobody should have to rush through lunch to get work done or get to class on time because it is important that students arrive to class on time feeling comfortable and ready to learn otherwise they will not benefit. Students deserve a longer lunch, you can help by talking to anyone who has say in this matter, reach out to an Upper School Council member or members of SPA’s administration and explain why it’s important to extend our lunch periods.