Osceola High School seems to be all about new, fresh changes this year; including a new lunch schedule.
After several interviews with students on campus, the responses have all been the same. Students are not in favor of the two 32-minute lunch blocks.
“I think the three lunch blocks were easier and better for everyone because everyone actually had a place to sit and enough time to eat their lunch,” one student said. “Now, there’s too many kids shoved into one lunch block.”
Another student added, “The time just isn’t enough. With so many students, I hate not being able to sit when I eat or even having to scarf my food down on my way to class because by the time I just get my lunch the bell rings.”
It seems to students that lunch is just too hectic and not working well.
But the lunch employees have a different opinion. They say that they don’t mind the two-block lunch and it works fine for them. However, despite any ones thoughts, Principal Edward Jones has a new plan in mind for next year.
Jones would like to see Osceola have all students in a one-hour lunch block starting in the upcoming 2015-16 school year.
“It’s not for social matters but educational,” Jones said.
Any students who aren’t meeting the requirements to pass a certain class will attend a 25-30 minute tutoring session on the subject area they need help in for the first half of lunch and then work their way down to the cafeteria to eat their lunch for the second half of the block.
Also, clubs will be able to meet during the one-hour lunch block. Jones said that will give the whole student body more opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities.
Tutoring will be mandatory if needed and enrichment will be completely voluntary.
This all sounds great, right? But what does the lunch staff think about this change?
The lunch staff seemed surprised by this idea.
“The one-hour lunch won’t work well because we need time to refill our lunch lines, handle the kitchen and do all the important things that need to be done in between lunches to make sure everything is done smoothly,” one staff member said. “There’s no time.”
All in all, everyone has an opinion on the school’s lunch schedule, but change seems inevitable.
