If you walk into the Urbana High cafeteria during any lunch shift, you’ll hear the same thing: “What is that?” and “I’m just getting a snack from the vending machine.” While the lunchroom is the social hub of the school, the food itself is a different story. For this part of the K&N Stories series, we talked to students to find out if school lunch is actually fueling us or just letting us down.
For most students, the biggest problem isn’t just the taste-it’s the consistency. You never know if you’re getting a good meal or something you can barely finish. “It’s totally hit or miss,” says Manny Barnes, a junior at Urbana. “Some days the pizza is fine, but other days the chicken is dry or just tastes off. When you’ve been in class for four hours, you just want something you can actually eat.”
Because the food can be such a gamble, many students find themselves skipping the main meal. Ryan Robinson, a 12th grader, noted that this leads to an “afternoon slump,” where students lose focus in their last few periods because they haven’t had a real lunch to keep them going.
Urbana is a big sports school, and for athletes, the current portions just aren’t cutting it. “If I have soccer practice or a game right after school, a small burger and a bag of carrots isn’t enough,” says Cameron Johnson, a sophomore and soccer player. “I’m burning way more calories than I’m getting at lunch. A lot of us feel like the meals are sized for elementary school kids, not high schoolers who are active all day.”
Ethan Newman, a 12th grader agreed, pointing out that when the lunch isn’t filling, students spend more money on junk. “We end up buying chips or cookies from the vending machines because the tray didn’t fill us up. We want to eat healthy, but the portions have to be bigger if they want us to stay away from the snacks.”
Even if the food is good, students face another hurdle: the clock. Between walking from class and waiting in long lines, the actual time left to sit and eat is disappearing.
“By the time I actually get my food, I have maybe ten minutes left,” says Cameron, a senior. “You have to shove your food down just to make it to your next class on time. It makes lunch feel like a chore instead of a break.” Kenneth noted that this is why more people are starting to pack their own bags. “Bringing lunch from home is faster and you know what you’re getting, but not everyone has the time to make a meal every morning.”
Ultimately, the lunchroom in Urbana High reveals a gap between what students need and what the cafeteria provides. Whether its the unpredictable quality, small portions for athletes the current system is leaving many students hungry for a change. Until these issues of consistency and time are addressed, the tray will likely remain a “hit or miss” gamble.