A student sits restlessly in their fourth period class, overwhelmed by the pain of their hunger. The teacher’s lecture is drowned out by the sounds of their stomach rumbling. Instead of filling their minds with knowledge, they think of filling their stomach with food. After a 57 minute delay, the bell rings, and the student is off to satisfy their hunger. With a cafeteria that’s often closed, the options for underclassmen are limited, so they take to raiding campus, while many upperclassmen enjoy their off-campus privileges.
Sitting in their car is one of the most popular places to eat among the upperclassmen.
“[My favorite place to eat] is inside my friend’s car,” Jenelle Guey-Mock (‘26) said. “Because I can just sit back and nap if I wanted to. It’s much more chill.”
Other students may choose to eat out for lunch. Popular places to eat include: Chipotle, Starbucks, Gas stations, Donut Delight, and Trader Joe’s.
“[I like to eat at] McDonald’s because it’s the closest, and they have a good variety of delicious foods,” Mia Mendoza (‘26) said.
For students that live near the school, they may choose to head back home for lunch.
“[If I forget my lunch,] I just go back home and get food,” Mendoza said.
For the underclassman, popular places to sit and eat range from all corners of campus.
“It changes every day,” Gabi Massey (‘27) said. “But, usually [I sit] on the benches by [the] culinary [building] or by the fire pits in the quad.”
Many underclassmen prefer to find a space inside to enjoy their food. Room 985 is almost always filled with students.
“During lunch, I would estimate an average of 15 kids [eat in my room],” Pre-Calculus and Computer Algebra Review teacher Dan Hoffman said, “On a full day I would say 30 [students].”
In Hoffman’s classroom students have the freedom to play video games, hang out with friends, and receive help with math, if needed. Though he isn’t required to keep his room open, room 985’s door is open to all nearly every day.
“I’ve had multiple students express that they appreciate having a spot to sit down in a chair, not get harassed by other things, and have some decent quiet to hang,” Hoffman said.
Once AGHS students are settled on where they are eating, the question of what they eat arises. Many students find it more difficult to eat healthy during the school week.
“[It’s hard to eat healthy at school] because you’re more tempted to eat snacks,” Massey said. “At home, you have more [healthy food options ] to offer.
Not many students have the time to prepare a well rounded lunch.
“I have a hard time making my own lunches because of excessive homework, then I have track, and then I have my at-home priorities,” Juliette Lindsey (’27) said. “It’s a struggle.”
With decisions about where and what to eat, though it may seem like a mundane, daily task, lunch brings a plethora of options and decisions to be made.
