The class of 2026 is now fully ensconced in our sophomore year, and I believe I speak for many of us when I say that we deserve off-campus lunch privileges. I know I have spent many STEP periods with my friends trying to talk over the blaring music in the atrium, attempting to find an open space on the bleachers, or fighting the urge to be rude when we find someone sitting in our regular lunch spot. It’s time for a change: let us off campus for lunch.
Jackson-Reed is severely overcrowded. While this notion is anything but new, it does not change the fact that there is simply not enough space inside the building for everyone to eat lunch. This leaves students to face the reality of searching for a place to eat every day, understanding the inevitable: you will not be alone, you will not be somewhere clean, and you will probably have to sit on the ground.
JR’s cafeteria is small and seats fill up very fast, so students often have no choice but to look for other options. One of these options is sitting in the atrium, which comes with a guarantee of consistent ear-splittingly loud music and unpredictable crowds. Or one could make the choice to flee to the already-crowded A, B, or C wings for their lunchtime. During warm and non-rainy days, there’s also the stadium, where you can grapple with attempting to find a seat in the bleachers or having to play dodgeball while eating anywhere near the field. Sophomores deserve the same chance to eat someplace else for a change!
Even though seniors and juniors are allowed to go off-campus during lunch, the building is still extremely crowded. This could be helped by letting sophomores off campus.
Furthermore, the rampant mouse population undeniably stems from students eating all over the school. Inevitably, crumbs get left behind, creating regular feasts for JR’s creature populations. Allowing more students to eat off-campus would help curb the amount of food left for the mice.
The current policy is that sophomores can qualify for off-campus lunch during fourth term if they have achieved honor roll and attendance requirements during the first three terms, as well as having completed all PARCC assessments. Using off-campus lunch as a reward for honor roll is a great strategy, and applying it to sophomores throughout the entire year could be an effective motivator for students to try their best on all schoolwork.
We sophomores served our time for on-campus lunch during freshman year. We endured the struggle to find a place to eat, a JR rite of passage. Now we should be able to earn the privilege of leaving campus, alleviating lunchtime crowding and the mouse problem. Give sophomores off-campus lunch!
