Recently the Steinbrenner High School lunch schedule was modified from three periods to two. In itself this increase in the number of students would have resulted in the interior of the cafeteria and patio becoming more crowded, however, Steinbrenner has also taken on over 800 new transfer students at the start of the 2016-17 academic year.
In an attempt to control the overflow beyond the capacity of the cafeteria, tables were added near the gym entrance and in front of the auditorium. According to Steinbrenner Administration staff, there are many students who are absent at lunch periods, leave early or are signed out each day. This lack of attendance, combined with students who prefer to spend their lunch period in a teacher’s classroom or the library, Administration stated, results in a significant reduction to accommodate the increase in overall student population, which allows the school to consolidate everyone into two lunches.
The reason for the Assistant Principal’s and Principal Ms. King’s decision to change has been widely debated throughout the school leading to many misguided assumptions; quite the opposite of what has been spread around the answer is quite simple, “Last year’s schedule removed many of us from our administrative duties for a large part of that day. With the new lunch system we have more time to spend one-on-one with students so we can help them,” said Assistant Principal Coleman.
With Administrators being taken out of their offices less often, it will allow them to dedicate more time with students and therefore resolve any issues quicker and more opportunity to be able to assist teachers when needed with less chance of time constrictions.
“Having two lunch periods frees up our time for supervision over classrooms and for work with class observations and instruction time,”said Assistant Principal Clemmons.
Lunch on the first day of school is always chaotic, so understandably many students were confused and upset by the unannounced changes to the lunch schedule. Now as the school year has progressed the situation at lunch has improved, becoming more controllable and less disorderly as people settle into their new routines or make alternative plans with friends over these two periods.
“The first few days were packed, but now there are occasionally empty tables around the cafeteria,” Assistant Principal Coleman observed.
At peak times such as the start of each period, the lunchroom remains slightly crowded, however, students have alternatives to eating inside and many are taking advantage of these other options. The system has continuing opportunities to improve efficiency, on the understanding that the campus remains willing and able to provide flexible space to accommodate students who wish to spend their lunch period in or around the cafeteria.
“Other schools with more students than Steinbrenner have two lunches rather than three, so as long as we can maintain order this system will stay,” said Assistant Principal Clemmons.
Katelyn Payne// Copy Editor
