Students split up as new schedules with separate lunches resurface at Mead High
The MHS student community has once again been divided between two different lunch groups to ease the new stresses of the 2021-2022 academic year
Leann Verela mentioned that more students can be fed through the split schedule than can through a single lunch.
As of Monday, August 30th, all MHS students will be divided into two lunches based on their third block of the day (A3 and B7).
Some students were surprised by this decision, but, according to administration, the decision was based on supervision concerns.
Principal Dr. Brian Young said, “[This] was a team decision. What it comes down to is safety.”
He continued, “We have students eating in every corner of the building right now. We don’t have enough staff members to supervise.” He hopes that “by splitting [lunches], we’ll make it a much safer environment”.
This simple change also takes a load off the shoulders of Mead’s kitchen faculty and staff. Kitchen manager Leann Verela is especially grateful for the incoming split lunches.
She said, “We’re doing over 200 additional lunches this year.”
This separated lunch schedule does not only help to keep students safe, but it helps lunch time be more manageable for kitchen staff and the 500 students they’re serving at a time.
Though it’s easier for staff, some students are disappointed about the split up in a similar manner to last year’s schedule.
Alice Stewert (‘25) said, “I like [being] all [together] at once because I could sit with anyone.”
“It gets quiet in the halls once everyone is in class,” she added.
Some believe this is a response to Covid precautions.
MK Longobricco (‘22) said, “We’ve made it really far, and while COVID still exists, we can’t live in fear our whole life. I’m in my senior year now and I want to be able to spend it with my friends.”
The new schedule is as follows.
1st lunch (starts at 11:07) if A3 or B7 is any of the following subjects:
- English/Drama
- Social Studies
- Art
- Business
- World Language
- Exceptional Learning
- Computer Sciences
- FACS
- FRCC
2nd lunch (starts at 12:39) if A3 or B7 is any of the following subjects:
- Math
- Science
- PE/Health
- Music
- Study Hall (Music, Math, Bortz’s AP)
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Mason McClellan is a senior, they enjoy reading, music composition, and musical performance. They are involved in both the jazz and marching band programs at Mead High, and they are looking forward to being more active in the school's music and journalism programs. They look forward to leaving Mead High better than how they found it.
