The student body has split feelings about the lunches provided to those on the school meal plan. With the rise of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania, the school implemented a new set of controversial school rules with hopes of keeping school students safe. One of the new guidelines set is all students and faculty must eat a boxed lunch with their advisory. During a typical year, lunch block is a time for students to unwind by eating lunch with their friends, but this year students express some frustration about how the school and Sodexo dining services have handled the lunch situation.
“I think the lunches this year do not come close to the quality of meals in previous years. I understand that this was bound to happen due to the given circumstances, but I am still a little disappointed with the overall quality,” Sixth Former Mike Tallarida said.
Sodexo usually offers a wide variety of foods, from two different hot meals, pasta, a salad bar, and a sandwich bar. To many students’ dislike, Sodexo provides limited options for lunch this year. Having only one choice for a meal can be quite disappointing if students do not like the meal provided on a particular day. Some students believe not only the quality but also the quantity of the lunches have severely decreased.
“The food is way worse this year. Having only a single option for lunch every day is frustrating. The lack of quality and quantity in school food is why I am now bringing lunch to school some days,” Sixth Former Beau Christopher said.
Students understand and appreciate the effort the dining hall workers are making. There is only so much the cooks can do when they need to make meals hours in advance and prepare those meals for hundreds of students. Eating lunch in a socially distanced space with your advisory is an unfortunate result of the COVID crisis.
“The circumstances around our school lunch really is unfortunate. While I do think the quality of our food has gotten worse, I understand that there is not much that can be done given the pandemic,” Fifth Former Aidan Welsh said
Looking towards the future, some students are hopeful that the school can find a way to improve their meals without giving the dining hall crew an unreasonable amount of work. It would be best if the student body and the dining hall staff can come together and figure out a way to get both sides in agreement on what school lunches should include. The dining hall staff has prepared great meals in years’ past, so students have confidence that next year the lunches will be of the same caliber.
“Next year, if COVID protocols are still in place, the school should consider giving the students more options when it comes to school lunches. That would greatly improve the school lunches,” Tallarid said.