At Wheeler High School lunch schedule is being changed from five, twenty-three-minute lunches to four, thirty-minute lunches starting Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Many students suspect that this is because the Georgia accrediting commission says in the standards for high school programs that schools should provide each student a minimum of thirty minutes for lunch. Do the students at Wheeler High School agree with this change? Some Cobb county high schools even get up to fifty minutes for lunch. It will be interesting to see if other schools with block schedules follow this new protocol or maintain their existing schedule. Lexie Bickford (grade 12) says, “I heard that we weren’t under the legal amount of time we were supposed to have for lunches, and the administration didn’t know about it.” Reed Crouch (grade 11) says, “I heard the schedule changed so we would have a longer lunch and because people with E lunch basically got leftovers”

When asking Wheeler students how they feel about the new lunch schedule compared to the old one, they respond with various perspectives. Isabella Nazario (grade 12) says, “I really enjoy the new lunches and I am glad I still have the same lunch.” Lexie Bickford (grade 12) says, “I like that we have a little longer to eat. However, I don’t like that there are so many more people in my lunch now because it makes the lines longer.” Reed Crouch (grade 11) says, “It has pros and cons, more people means longer lines but longer lunches mean more time to eat.” Aaron Ward (grade 12) says, “It’s nice to have a longer lunch.”
The same students are asked how this new lunch schedule affects them positively or negatively. Isabella Nazario (grade 12) says, “It impacts me positively since now we have more time to eat and talk to friends.” Lexie Bickford (grade 12) responds with a different perspective saying, “It gives me a couple more minutes to eat, but it also pushed my lunch back so I’m not eating until 1:20, which is pretty late for lunch.” Aaron Ward (grade 12) says, “I’m glad I have a longer time to eat but I had a good lunch group that’s been broken up now.” This is a common concern as students have already found what friends they have in their lunch and who they like to sit with. Reed Crouch (grade 11) says, “I see more of my friends. But for some reason, people who didn’t have E lunch got moved as well.” One con that many students mention in their interview is the added amount of people in the lunchroom. Students have found that the increased number of people have made the lunchroom more crowded and the lines longer, not leaving enough time to wait in line then find a seat and eat their lunch. Considering this issue, with the increased number of people added to each lunch period, did the students gain more lunchtime?
Based on these interviews of wheeler students, most students are overall happy with the decision to change the lunch schedule. When asked if they would have changed the lunch schedule had it been their decision, they all agreed they would have made the same change. Students agree that the added time for eating and socializing is the best part of the lunch schedule change. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based in Atlanta, Georgia, “Studies have shown that providing more time for lunch is associated with: Increased consumption of food and key nutrients, Increased selection of a fruit, Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, lunch entrée, and milk.”