New Lunch

At the beginning of last year, nobody could have predicted that lunch would be eaten in classrooms all over the school, people would be flooding through the gym desperate to get to one of the three buffet tables and there would be no post-lunch announcements. Well, due to the construction and destruction of the Commons, lunch has become a hectic time at Bishop Seabury. 

Compared to last year, when lunch tables were jumbled in the middle of the Commons and announcements were made at the end of lunch, this year’s lunch setup is wildly different. Most importantly, lunch groups are not assigned to tables but to classrooms in the main building. Commenting on the changes, Eighth-grader David Klimiuk says, “I think that it is going to run smoothly at some point in the year, but it’s just going to take the returning students a little bit of getting used to, just because it’s a whole different setting and operation.” 

“I like [the new lunch setup],” says freshman Beck Oldridge, “[but] Definitely not as much as the old lunch setup, because you were more involved with everybody else in the room. It was all 250 kids, and it wasn’t just a certain collective area. Now that we’re so spread out in the room, there . . . [is] less of a whole community.” 

One downside of last year’s setup was the labyrinth of tables in the commons. Commenting on this aspect, sophomore Maisy Rader says, “I like this year because last year it was so cramped . . . [it was] like a maze.”

While everybody has positive opinions on the new lunch setup they all feel as if a social aspect of last year is missing. Klimiuk says, “I definitely liked the last setup more. I feel like everyone got talked to more and you could see everybody; I just felt like it was more social.” 

Sophomore Shea Hanna says, “It’s already changed a lot from the beginning of the year. It’s just different; you kind of feel closed off from the school at lunch instead of all being in the same room.”

Another huge change this year is the absence of announcements; Oldridge comments on the topic, saying, “I preferred last year’s [lunch], just because there was more involvement. There were actual announcements, which is helpful to know what’s going on. I need to be reminded of athletic things all the time or else I’ll forget. Also, it’s a shorter lunch.” Before announcements were cut, lunch was short, but even after that change, it feels strangely short.

With microwaves scattered throughout the school, lunch eaten in classrooms and no announcements after the meal, this year’s lunch has certainly shaken things up. Although many say that lunch is less social, this year’s setup may offer the opportunity to get to know people even better in the cramped school. And the altered lunch setup is just the beginning: this unusual year certainly has more changes and surprises to come.