On November 2nd, 2022, we had our first One Lunch in three years. Students were given forty-five minutes of (almost) free reign over the school, and it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the stifling four-block lunches of pandemic days. This was a first for many, including myself, and I would say that it was a fairly enjoyable experience.

“It was great,” said junior Sage Wheeler. “We got to see our friends, hangout with our favorite teachers, and actually sit down and enjoy our lunch.”

One Lunch gave me the opportunity to relax and laugh with friends who have different lunch blocks from mine. Also, instead of sitting in a loud, jam-packed cafeteria, I could get away from the noise and sit in a quiet classroom to enjoy my food. It’s the first time I truly relaxed in the middle of a school day.

But that’s not to say everything went perfectly.

“The build up in the Commons was absolutely terrible,” said senior Jiselle Arevalo.

At the start of One Lunch, the Commons was crowded like a Best Buy on Black Friday. It was all you could do to squeeze yourself through, hoping to not lose your friends along the way. The whole crowd was chaotic and confusing. Although, it did begin to dissipate as students started exploring different places to eat.

Another issue was that some students behaved inappropriately. There was some running in the halls, the aforementioned chaos in the Commons, and some misconduct in the bathrooms. To say the least, it made me worried that we might never have another One Lunch.

Thankfully though, One Lunch is going ahead for further trials. I have hope that as students start getting used to it, One Lunch will be less chaotic and become more like how some seniors described it as from their freshmen year.

“In my freshman year One Lunch was amazing,” said senior Madilynn Hanley. “We could get help with work, see all our friends—it was just good.”