Going Out for Lunch… Maybe Next Year
Over the past few months the tenth grade hallways have been abuzz with gossip around one thing in particular: that our peers in the eleventh grade can now go out to lunch but, we, as underclassmen are still prohibited to. Many sophomores feel as though this should not be the case especially due to the fact that many of the juniors are only mere months older than a fair portion of the tenth grade. In addition, many students have friends from other schools who, in the tenth grade, are allowed to go out for lunch. I asked a few students for their opinions on this topic to see if the majority of the tenth grade would go out to lunch, if granted the privilege.
When I spoke to Vanessa Pinney, a member of the class of 2017 she said, “I think we should. At others schools seventh graders go out to lunch.” Miss Pinney’s statement reiterates the belief that many tenth graders hold on being able to go out to lunch. In addition, I spoke to Sebastian Del Principe, another member of the class of 2017. He said, “Yes, because I want food outside of school.” Mr. Del Principe’s reason for tenth graders going out to lunch differs from Ms.Pinney’s, but both of them have valid reasons for why tenth graders should be able to leave the building to get lunch. To gather even more perspectives on this topic, I spoke to Manny Cordoba-Castro, another member of the tenth grade. After I asked him what his thoughts were on the subject, he promptly responded, “Yes. Because it is unfair that the other grade can go out and we can’t. It’s an unsound argument.” Mr. Cordoba-Castro’s point brings another aspect to the debate over whether or not the tenth graders should be able to go out to lunch: that it is unfair to let one grade go out and prohibit the other grades. To gather some other points of perspective on the subject, I spoke to two members of our faculty: Mr. Brown, Dean of the class of 2017 and Nurse Alicia, School Nurse.
When I spoke to Mr.Brown, he said that, “I think eleventh grade being the year [students can leave campus] is right for a lot of reasons, including the idea that there are upper class privileges that one earns over over time.” Mr. Brown’s contrasting view on the subject is important to not only recognize, but give added consideration as he is the Dean of the class in question. Furthermore, when I spoke to Nurse Alicia she said, “I think it’s something that is a privilege… at some point you have to show that you are mature enough… eleventh grade is the best time do that.” The perspective Nurse Alicia holds on the issue is very similar to that of Mr. Brown as she believes that going out to lunch should be a privilege, something to look forward to obtaining.
Overall, after interviewing members of the High School community at GCS I came across many differing opinions on the subject of whether or not tenth graders should be able to go out to eat lunch. In my research, I found that the tenth graders felt ready to obtain this privilege, but the faculty felt as though its should be a privilege reserved for upperclassmen. All in all, this decision appears to be a debatable one in the eyes of many tenth graders and in my opinion, should definitely still be up for discussion.