Ayala administrators have started to consider extending lunch periods given the potential benefits it could bring to the campus in response to the California Board of Educations’ request.
Most of the school is familiar with their 30-minute lunch break that extends from 12:46-1:16 on Tuesdays to Fridays. The problem with this short break is that lunch lines and bathroom lines are usually booming with students, giving them little time to socialize with their friends and eat their lunch. Due to this, administrators have been considering the request of the California Board of Education to lengthen the lunch period that teachers and students are given every day.
“The bathroom lines are always really long and also the lunch lines are really long for some odd reason,” Juliett Legorreta (11) said. “By the time you get to your seat you probably have max ten minutes to eat.”
Another benefit to having longer lunch times would be that students would have more time to participate in lunchtime activities such as club meetings. As a result of these time consuming activities, most students would not have enough time to eat and to socialize with other students outside of the club.
“A lot of people have club meetings or they’re trying to meet with teachers during lunch and after that, a lot of times, they don’t have time to get food or anything,” Shreeyaa Phate (11) said. “I think extending the time period is a good idea.”
Additionally, students will be more energized for their next classes with a longer break. Once students relax with their friends and eat a healthy meal, students will likely perform better in their studies.
“[Students] might be more energized for their next class,” Legorreta said. “ They might not be as tired, maybe because food wakes you up…I think it’ll definitely make the students happier.”
The only concern that comes with having longer lunch periods is the possibility of longer school days; if students are given longer breaks, they may get out of school later than the current end time now.
“It could be not a good situation if [longer lunch periods] extend the school day for the students,” Administration Secretary Ms. Jill Anderson said.
Longer lunch periods pose many benefits for the students including them being more energized for their next classes and them having more time to eat and socialize with their friends. There are also drawbacks because it could result in students staying in school longer.
“I think if lunch is extended that gives students more free time for socializing and a little bit more time for them to eat their lunch,” Anderson said.
