by Chloe Xiong

Not everyone can bring in their own meals for lunch everyday.

Each day, all over the US, millions of students eat school lunches. Some days, the menu items are good, other days, they aren’t, but no matter what, they bring many benefits to everyone.

Gorgeous Yang, a sophomore at Memorial High School, located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, agrees that they always carry benefits, saying that school lunches are, “both good and bad.”

I myself get school lunch almost every day, along with my siblings and some of my friends. “Over 95,000 schools serve lunch to 29.7 million students each day,” according to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP.)

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) says that students get the, “healthiest meals at school,” meals that aid in, “supporting obesity prevention, overall student health, and academic achievement.”

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) “ensures students have nutrition they need throughout the day to learn.” It has also been shown that, “free or reduced-price school lunches reduce food insecurity, obesity rates, and poor health.” NSLP also states that food insecurity is, “linked to negative health, development and educational outcomes such as slower progress in math and reading and a higher likelihood of repeating a grade,” supporting the idea that food is related to your mental health.

As all of these food and nutrition platforms have confirmed and supported, those who get school lunches benefit very much from each item on the menu. Even adults . Michelle Sprinke, a food service professional, also known as one of our “lunch ladies” at Memorial High School, says that each meal is, “made to be healthy.” She also says that she and her coworkers, “do eat the school lunch after both lunch periods are done.”

I personally enjoy school lunches. Some of my favorite meals are mozzarella sticks, cheesy breadsticks, walking tacos and flatbread pizza. As for the sides that are served, I always enjoy a good grab of carrots and cucumbers, along with peaches, and the much-loved sorbet cups. 

One thing that is not as enjoyable is when the lunch menu doesn’t have any appetizing options, because there isn’t really a better choice for lunch. One thing that would be very helpful is if there was a way to vote for food options; whether it be voting to bring back previous options or eliminating generally disliked meals. This would really help both students and staff, who organize and cook the food that is being served. 

Although getting school lunch is not for everyone, it is something that I can support, because my siblings, my friends, and myself, get school lunch almost every day. I agree that each meal is made to benefit those who choose to eat it. School lunch is definitely a good choice if you’re looking for something easy to grab that will fill you up, and is a great resource for students who need less expensive food options that help them learn.