Here at Pitman High School, we have a 30 minute lunch period. In Jr. high, we had about 50 minutes. For most, that is a big change and is hard to adjust to, and it gives students almost no time to do the things they need to do during lunch time.
A shorter lunch time also causes unhealthy eating habits for students. With a shorter lunch time, many students are rushed and either eat too fast or don’t eat at all. When students skip meals, it can affect their energy levels and concentration. If students got more lunch time, it would increase their energy levels and they would perform better in class. Students that rely on the food that the school provides for lunch have to wait in long lines that take up most of their lunch time, leaving them only a little bit of time to eat.
Many students have spoken up about this problem. Especially the ones that get hot lunch daily. When asked about the lunch times, Adele Biedendorf-Tumolo said, “I think it’s too short for everything that we have to do because there’s not enough time for everything because you might need to go to the bathroom, especially the kids that depend on hot lunch. It’s just not enough time for, what, 2,000 people? Not all of them eat hot lunch, but there’s too many and the lines are too long for such a short amount of time. And people cut the lines a lot too, so that makes it longer. And it just takes a longer amount of time to finish the stuff I have to do.”
Students would rather stay at school a few minutes later if they could have a longer lunch time. 9th grader Viviana Ramirez states, “I would rather stay at school for an extra 10 minutes to have a longer lunch time, as long as it doesn’t make the classes longer, and the classes stay the same since it’s a big change from Jr. High.” At Pitman High School Students have the same opinion.
And lunch isn’t just about food-it’s often the only time students get to see their friends and is their only real break throughout the school day. Lunch gives students a chance to relax, talk with their friends, and reset from their previous classes. A longer lunch period is a perfect way to support the mental health of students here at Pitman.
Since the Piman campus is so big, providing more time during the lunch period would give students enough time to walk from places they need to go during lunch, like teachers’ classrooms, the office, or simply the bathrooms, and give them enough time to eat their lunch.
In conclusion, giving students more time during lunch is a simple change that can lead to many meaningful benefits.