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It’s a common saying that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” and when dealing with the new Sharon High lunch schedule, the phrase hits close to home. After first lunch was moved to 10:47 AM this year, the schedule has sparked controversy among the student body.

Some, like freshman Laylin Hadley, believe the early lunchtime benefits new freshmen due to its similarity to the times at their alma mater, Sharon Middle School.

“It was easier to transition to high school with less of a schedule change,” Hadley notes. In fact, Hadley believes an early lunch is the best way to eat, and it helps set up a student for a good day.

Others, like junior Isabel Ortega, believe that lunch should be eaten at midday, stating, “I just feel more hungry from 12 to 1.”

To stave off mid-morning hunger, some students pack snacks to eat throughout the day. Even small snacks can keep students satiated throughout the two to three periods following lunch.

Hungry students are the key factor behind SHS lunches’ other issue: the lines. As students rush to the servery to pick up lunches, the lines tend to overflow and cause traffic, especially with the abundance of students skipping to the front. Barriers have been created to keep the lines contained, and teachers have been stationed nearby to counter line-cutting, but the chaos persists. 

“The chicken sandwich isn’t going to run from you,” Ortega pointed out, exasperated by the pushing and shoving present in the kitchen.

Additionally, Sharon High seniors are upset with the constantly changing lunch rotation, with the schedule changing twice since their freshman year: once to make it by hallway rather than grade, and once to make it earlier. According to senior Matilda Seibert, “Lunch is a riddle.”

The lunches, which are organized by hallway, have been known to cause issues within friend groups for Sharon’s students, with many complaining that it’s hard to see their friends throughout the day if they don’t share the same lunch times.

However, the Sharon High School administration has no plans to change the lunch schedule further, stating that they want to allow students to adjust to their new school day.