High school students with cars and nowhere to go is not the norm. Usually they go to school in the morning, and after the bell rings they all go to the closest fast food restaurant, sometimes they even walk. Most teenagers are used to this, and it’s a part of their daily routine to pick up a bag of greasy food after a long day. In our area it’s common for students from Gaither to go to a variety of restaurants after school. With a Taco Bell next door, a Steak ‘n Shake that’s adjacent to a Boston Market across the street, and not to mention a Chick-fil-A down the road. Sickles High School has a McDonald’s within walking distance that is in a shopping center with a couple of other food choices. Steinbrenner, on the other hand, is surrounded by housing complexes and preschools, with the closest restaurant six miles away, and the closest fast food restaurant even farther. Students from other high schools are able to meet up after school and grab some food and do homework at these places, but at Steinbrenner students are expected to go home with nothing to do.
“It gets really busy really fast,” Jarett Larscheid, a McDonald’s employee said when asked about what happens when Sickles gets out of school, “The kids practically flood the place.”
“It is nice to have somewhere else to go besides home after school,” Israel Lavalle, another McDonald’s employee said, “It gives you somewhere to go that has food and you can get some homework done while you eat.”
Most high schools are surrounded by businesses that know the amount of profit gained from high school kids. Providing a place for students to go after school could actually benefit the school in some ways. The students may go and study at these places with other students and get more work done. It could also help the school by building a kind of fundraiser relationship with the school, such as student nights. Both the school and the businesses could gain a lot from this and even promote some kind of charity.
There are almost no restaurant businesses set up on Lutz Lake Fern, and businesses could profit from setting up shop in such a residential area such as this. The fact that there is a high school nearby should be even more of an incentive for a restaurant to set up shop nearby. Most students would love having such easy access to fast food, and some students would benefit by being able to get jobs there. All the good things a restaurant or other hangout could provide to the community, as well as the amount of potential profit should have them bidding on any nearby land to build on.
It is important that students have a place to go after school. Students don’t just want somewhere to go, at some point they need it. To relieve stress by being with friends, having a good time and eating food. The fact is, there is no reason not to have a restaurant within walking distance of Steinbrenner. With plenty of reasons to have it, why isn’t there a McDonald’s within a mile? Is there any reason for a pizza parlor to be six miles away? An after school hangout would be good for the businesses, but even better for the school.
Nicholas Ocasio // Staff Writer
