For years, students have complained about how unsatisfactory school lunches have been across the country.
When students go to the cafeteria for the lunch time built into their schedule, it should feel as if they are not only going to take a break from the school day, but also to enjoy a tasty and nutritious meal.
Instead, some students feel a sense of frustration, because they are enjoying the limited amount of time off, but are not being provided with the quality meals which they want and deserve.
More specifically, at McLean High School, a large percentage of the student population is vegetarian, and specifically the vegetarian-friendly meals are consistently unsatisfactory, lacking flavor, and variety of options available.
Not only have these lacked improvement over time, they have worsened it in terms of quantity, quality, price, and the overall satisfaction of students and their families.
This problem does not only exist for the vegetarian population but for non-vegetarians as well. In elementary schools for example, students were sometimes served exciting foods which students would look forward to such as orange chicken, or BBQ days where trucks would park outside the school cafeteria and set up a buffet-style service.
However, as time moved on and students progressed in their schooling, by the time they reached middle or high school, when academic pressure is at its peak, the options began to worsen.
For kids who live in busy households, and are unable to pack their lunch before the school day, the lunch provided by the school is the only alternative for them to eat their meal.
The problem with this is that the food which is served at McLean High School for example, has no variety, as it is based on a fixed calendar where each day of the week, a different meal is served, however on a repeated schedule.
Instead of this, the county could have set more exciting options, for example a mystery day, where a fun meal which nobody knows about is served. Or a week where the food of a specific culture is served.
The extent to which an improvement in the school lunch program would affect overall average academic performance is another important point. If FCPS were to improve their school lunch program it would have a significant impact on students’ academic performance.
If school lunches in Fairfax County were to become tastier, then students are more likely to look forward to mealtime, and their time in school overall, increasing their focus during the day and positively affecting their overall academic performance by boosting their morale.
If students look forward to a tasty and relaxing lunch, it can also reduce their stress levels and improve their overall mood and enthusiasm to be at school.
School lunches should be changed to options which students would actually look forward to. It is too often that cafeterias in FCPS are serving repetitive and taste-lacking meals, which can convince students to skip lunch altogether.
Instead of serving the same options every day, Fairfax County should perhaps include a more variety of meals, which are freshly prepared, in order to ensure the best taste possible.
