Eating On The Ground: The Issues Of Third Lunch

Fiona Moynihan, Writer

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The overcrowding of third lunch has presented Franklin High students with a challenge of finding seating in the cafeteria. Students now turn to faculty for a solution before the colder fall and winter months.

When asked about the issue, Julie Harrington, a senior, stated that most lunches are crowded, but third is the worst. She says: “The way lunches are arranged are for the cafeteria of the old school, and we didn’t adjust it when we came to the new school, and our cafeteria is smaller, so we need to reform the way people are assigned lunches.”

Brenna Cogavin, a junior, later added: “Even with the seats outside, there is not enough seats for us still. It’s better, but there is still not enough seats.” 

Phoebe Deering, a freshman, agreed. When asked how she felt about the number of students in the lunch, Phoebe said: “Too crowded. People can’t move, and they’re claustrophobic.”

Deering also added: “It is so crowded, I can’t even talk to my friends, and it’s so loud, and I am practically yelling across my table to say something.”

All three girls agree that the Seniors are most affected, all having seen upperclassmen sitting on the ground or at unusual locations in the cafeteria for lunch.

However, the girls are not just complaining. Harrington proposed reopening the Media Center to all students for lunch, a suggestion supported by both Cogavin and Deering, as well as a reform to how students are sent to lunch, potentially based on where students are located during lunch block, rather than the type of class they’re in.

No matter what the solution, it is important that administration resolves the matter soon. As the weather becomes colder, more students are moving inside from the patio, resulting in even more congestion in the cafeteria.