Mega lunch was reintroduced on campus on September 20, 2021. After less than a week, the hour-long lunch was taken away for one day based on students’ behavior and seating complications. With the possibility of the traditional lunch schedule becoming a permanent replacement, school officials need to consider the benefits mega lunch has to offer.

Mega lunch should continue to stay in effect for the rest of the school year for the well-being of teachers and students.

Every day, students spend hours in class working on schoolwork. After the school day is complete, they participate in extracurricular activities, work part-time jobs, and have other responsibilities. On top of a busy schedule, students receive large amounts of homework they need to complete before the next day. It is difficult and exhausting to balance school along with their personal lives. Therefore, lunch and other spare time are used during the day to help manage schoolwork. With the reintroduction of mega lunch, students have better opportunities to complete work or receive tutoring from a teacher. If they were absent, they can make up tests, quizzes, and any other work missed. This allows students to maintain better grades and keep up with their class’s curriculum. Not only will it benefit students, but teachers will feel less overwhelmed trying to get students caught up. Along with a higher chance for academic success, mega lunch encourages students to participate in clubs.

There is a wide variety of clubs at school, many of which take place during lunch. However, without the full hour, clubs have to find time outside of the school day to meet. This is challenging with the extracurricular activities students are involved in. As a result, students are unable to participate in clubs they enjoy. Clubs are an opportunity to discover new interests and connect with people who share those same interests. Taking away the hour lunch deprives students’ of pursuing their passions. 

Busy schedules also cause a decline in the social lives of teenagers. Being consumed with schoolwork, jobs, and other activities, it can be difficult to spend time with their friends. Lunch becomes the one time of day where people communicate and socialize with one another. The traditional lunch schedule offers only 30 minutes, which is impossible to fit in time to socialize in addition to school work and eating lunch. During mega lunch, everyone is in the same lunch and can easily interact with each other. The increased time makes socializing a realistic part of lunch. As a result, social time increases the overall morale of students.

Some may say that mega lunch is ineffective, but they would be ignoring the ways in which it helps students. Mega lunch provides students the time to focus on their academics and social life. To continue these benefits, school principals should keep the mega lunch schedule in effect instead of the traditional schedule for the remainder of the year.