The Mycenaean

On most days, high schoolers have an overwhelming amount of work. Lunch gives them the opportunity to reconnect with friends and relax with people they enjoy. 

Here at Leesville, we have had different iterations of lunch periods for many years. At one point, we had three different lunch periods. 

Up until 2018, every Monday, students received 80 minutes to eat lunch, study, catch up on schoolwork, homework, and socialize. It was called SMART lunch. SMART lunch ended after the 2018 school year. 

“Sometimes, it’s really annoying if you don’t have any classes with them [your friends] and so lunch should be the time where you’re able to see and talk to them,” said Alexis Cook — a sophomore at Leesville. “I think everyone could really benefit from SMART lunch. With the 80 minutes, you can take the extra time to study for classes or study for a test coming up.” 

Alexis Cook is planning on playing two sports this year. When asked about juggling homework with sports she said: “Sometimes practice is like 2 hours and that takes away a lot of time for homework.” 

The seniors this year had SMART lunch their freshman year. Julia Raymond is one of those seniors. “It was easier to balance your actual lunch time and working. I definitely miss having that really long break in the day,” said Raymond. 

“I feel like i’m kind of rushing through the parking lot and having to hurry up and eat. During SMART lunch, I would be able to finish up some extra homework and eat and socialize,” said Raymond.

“I definitely had a lot more time to do my homework during lunch and talk to teachers. You had like all your friends at lunch with you and now you really don’t,” said Ben Holland. “I could get a lot done but now it takes a lot of time out of school.”

Lunch is the one break in the day where students get time to themselves. The students here at Leesville deserve the same opportunity to manage their time better and hangout with their friends.