For students with 7th period lunch at WHBHS, the biggest question of the day is not “What’s for lunch?” It’s “Will there even be anything left?” While earlier lunch periods have plenty of options, many students eating later in the day say food shortages and limited choices have become a regular problem.
While the cafeteria staff works hard to be able to feed the entire school it is hard for the students who have later lunch periods because they are facing a lack of food options. Juniors Allie Mohrmann and Evie Burke have had 7th period lunch for two years in a row and they say there is barely any food by the time they get to the cafeteria.
Evie said, “Students should be limited to one lunch or every student shouldn’t be able to get doubles everyday so there is enough food for the students in later periods.”
The school lunch manager, Niam Walcott, is working hard to resolve these issues. In a recent interview, he told us, “The main issue in the cafeteria is the staff calling out sick. Because we don’t have the staffing, we are not being able to have all of the lunch stations open, like the kiosk in the middle of the cafeteria.”
The solution, Walcott said, would be to hire more staff or to have enough staff at work everyday in order to fulfill the lunch needs of the students. He recommended students to suggest new menu options through email or just asking him, as long as they are healthy he will look into them.
Next year Walcott hopes to fix these problems and address the suggestions. The state is also introducing new nutrition guidelines by aligning with evolving USDA standards, focusing on lower added sugars, reduced sodium, and increased whole grains. WHB will have a panini machine, a waffle maker, a new kiosk and they will be expanding and getting new vending machines to be able to supply food to every student.
Even though dealing with a budget, the issues are staffing shortages can be challenging. The student feedback will help to improve the lunch experience for everyone. However, enough staff needs to be present every day to keep the students fed. If you are a student who finds the lunch is not up to par, send Mr. Walcott suggestions at [email protected]. He is doing what he can to be sure we are all happy.
