The cafeteria is a place where students gather to eat, socialize, and expand their SEL development. For the diners who use the food line, however, it has become an overcrowded quagmire that often causes the lunch period to become extremely stressful.

In The Journalist’s numerous interviews, both students and teachers recognized that issues such as student behavior and a cramped queue have led to a significant impact on the amount it takes to get food. An anonymous interviewee even described the conditions as “Scary” due to the actions taken by other students while waiting.  Other interviewees had similar experiences, with almost all describing the constant shoving and cutting that they have had to endure. Even Ms. O’Donnell and Mr. Majewski have taken note of the issues, with Mr. Majewski saying that he experiences incidents “once a day at a minimum.” 

These incidents mostly take place inside a cramped queue space, which means that teachers often have to stop the line to respond to these incidents. This causes a severe backup of the line. Officials also emphasize that many problems could be avoided if people simply follow the Middle School Code of Conduct.

Overall, the conditions on the lunch line need to be improved. There is a lack of awareness when it comes to personal space, and behavior could be better. If the school guidelines are respected, then the burden on the staff and the queue would be drastically lowered. The school also advises people to utilize the wrap pre-ordering system.