Every day, Sam Barlow students flood into the cafeteria to get school lunch, getting into formed lines for certain choices. There, they are met with the same rotation of food every day — pizza, burgers, nachos, salads, chicken sandwiches, and a special that rotates daily. The same foods every day, on repeat for the entire year.
This year, school lunches are free for all students, so there’s no need to fill out an application or put money into an account. This opportunity is available because the Gresham-Barlow School District is a part of the Community Eligibility Program (CEP). This allows students to eat lunch and breakfast at school for free during this academic school year. Sam Barlow has also partnered with a new food company, Chartwells, to make sure the food is healthy and nutritious for its students.
Although these opportunities are great for the school, the lunch options can get repetitive. Despite the fact that the options given are nutritious and you can add your own toppings, there isn’t a lot to choose from, especially for people with dietary restrictions.
In a survey given out to all grades, students were asked if they eat school lunch and their opinions on the options. Out of the 84 responses, nachos were the most popular option for lunch, with pizza as a close runner-up. For the least favorite options, the responses were pretty mixed, with the top being salad, with a very close contender, by 1.1%, being burgers.
Overall, 81% of the responders don’t have any allergies, which is a positive, but there are some who really do need these options. A few allergies that were listed include gluten- celiac, red 40, beets, nuts, pineapple, pollen, folic acid, and pecans. From the responses, the cafeteria has enough options for those with allergies, but it’s not by a large number, only by 7.2%.
Our cafeteria’s repeating options can be bland and not as accommodating for those who have allergies. The responders gave some options they wished to see for lunch. These consist of tacos, burritos, a fresh deli sandwich bar, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, pasta, more salads, more fruit options, protein-forward options, wraps, fresher items in the salad bar, orange chicken, cookies, burrito bowls, and more Mexican-style options. They also run out of things quickly, like the specials and the sauces.
Although the food is not what students would say is ideal, it is free for this school year, which helps students who can’t bring food from home or can’t afford to buy lunch. In the coming school year, when Sam Barlow is not a part of CEP, are students going to pay for food they don’t even enjoy?
