Hanna's+Position+Essay

Hanna  Madsen  Mr.  Walsh  Senior Seminar CP 12/9/08    __Giving Change A Chance __   Rights and privileges are slippery things. Like a frog boiled slowly, we may not even realize until it is too late – until all our rights and privileges are gone. This is how North Kingstown High School’s senior privileges were taken away. Our seniors now cling to benches lined in a school hallway while the rest of the school is crammed into the cafeteria. It is the last, true senior privilege and even that is tempered by the short time period and long lunch lines that students in every grade endure. As a result, students wolf down their food. They have no time to relax study, socialize, or engage in other activities that may be impossible for them outside of school. Worse, seniors in winter are forced eat off of their laps or off the floor – or else relinquish the privilege of sitting in a hallway. This is a lunch policy gone terribly wrong, one that is not only demeaning toward the seniors but a general problem for the entire student body.  The current four lunch policy, now in its fifth year, was adopted by the school after the construction of the new building. This policy was chosen because the administration felt that the three lunch policy would cause overcrowding in the cafeteria. However both faculty and students quickly felt the negative aspects of the change. The four lunch policy allowed only for twenty two minutes for lunch, a time that rushed teacher and student alike. A study was done but found that students on average only needed 18 minutes to purchase and consume a lunch. The study supported the four lunch policy, and so the policy stayed and seniors must still eat on the floor.  However, the four lunch policy does not have a purely negative impact. Those who are in favor of the policy point out that the policy is in perfect alignment with teacher contracts and the need to have ninety minutes of class. Altering the four lunch policy would require a lot of disruption and juggling of the schedule. To accommodate longer lunches, the school may have to extend the school day. This would mean returning to the early start time which was one of the earliest in the state or ending the day later which would push sport practices later into the night. Also, the current policy is beneficial to the administration and the food company that provides the cafeteria because all students are on school grounds. As all students on lunch break are within set school boundaries, the administration can ensure student safety while the cafeteria can maximize profits. The cafeteria food, after all, has almost no competitors within the school. Those against the policy, however, point out the rising cost of food supplies and its negative effect on the school. While the food company may be maximizing its profits, the school is not. The administration must pay the food company’s increasing prices as oil and other resources get more expensive. The result is a cash flow that could be benefiting school programs or purchasing much-needed school supplies like calculator batteries or paper, but is instead feeding a demand that doesn’t have to be there. Those against school lunch policy believe that senior students should be allowed to leave campus to purchase lunch, just as students are allowed to leave for internship. This would cut the food supply bill while also providing senior students a new privilege and a lesson in responsibility and independence. In addition, it would allow the seniors a more sanitary setting than a hallway and extend the lunch time for everyone. It would be impossible, after all, to drive from school, purchase, consume, and return to school in twenty minutes. The longer lunch would allot students more time to socialize and study, something the school schedule doesn’t offer. It may even give typically after school clubs the opportunity to meet during lunch. This way, clubs don’t have to compete with each other for the 2pm-3pm block on Tuesdays and Thursdays, cut into after-school jobs, or conflict with responsibilities at home. As those in favor of a new policy point out, a new lunch policy could mean a lot more positive opportunities for student and teacher alike. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> As a person easily adapted to change and open to opportunity, I support a new lunch policy. As an active member of the school and town community, I have found that club meetings and commitments outside of school will often conflict. This has caused me to miss out on a lot of opportunities to learn and participate both within the school community and town community. I would certainly appreciate if some club activities were held during lunch so I could participate without sacrificing other commitments. I’m sure the majority of students would agree as almost every student has commitments outside of school and a desire to participate in an activity in school. Also as an active member of the community, I have found it sometimes difficult to find time to socialize with different groups or study for school. A longer lunch would certainly benefit my need to relax, catch up with friends, or work on homework in preparation for a busy afternoon. And as a student who has finally been awarded the prestigious title of senior, it would be nice if I didn’t have to either eat out of my lap or sacrifice my privilege and sit in the cafeteria. But what would be even better than that, would be getting the chance to display the maturity and responsibility to the school that taught me these values. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> I think it is time the school gave change another chance. But it will not be easy. The administration notes just how difficult changing the lunch policy would be. Both Mrs. Sironen and Mr. Foley explained that this change could create massive scheduling issues that would conflict with sports, sleep, class time, and teacher contracts. They also both expressed worry over the safety of seniors outside of school grounds. (But I think that the success of internship indicates the responsibility of upper classmen outside the classroom.) Yet I have also found that these same adults still support and encourage my viewpoint. The administration also finds problems with the lack of senior privileges, the short lunch period which permits little relaxation, study or social interaction, and the scheduling of clubs that allows the exclusion of many. Both Mrs. Sironen and Mr. Foley acknowledge that a longer lunch period could change all that, and they are willing, as I am, to help create an opportunity that will benefit the school community. With their help, it is time to give change a chance. Will you join us?