Navigating the labyrinth that is the dining hall is a skill that all Lourdes girls have to learn. Between the stampede, when trying to get to the best table, to the pushing and shoving that comes with lining up to get food, the Lourdes dining hall can only be described as one thing, utterly chaotic.
Teachers and administrators have noticed the forceful way students rush to get their food, and believe that it is a sign of disrespect to their superiors and even to their classmates.
“Students act like they haven’t eaten in a year when they get to the dining hall,” Mrs. Sandra Rogowski said. “I think that they’re probably too eager and anxious, so they rush to get their food.”
To attempt to control this problem, the administration has introduced a few new rules for behavior in the dining hall. One of these rules includes the banning of taking chairs from other tables and moving them around the dining hall, which has some students feeling conflicted.
“I understand why we’re not allowed to move chairs anymore, since when we did, people would have no space to pass through tables and would fight over chairs,” freshman Natalia Aviles said. “I don’t, however, think that it’s fair that some people are being excluded from their lunch tables and forced to sit alone. A possible alternative to this could be allowing people to move chairs but then requiring them to put them back before they leave the dining hall.”
Another added change was the new system for students to get their food. Instead of people skipping and a mob of students forming in the middle of the cafeteria, each grade would be called up separately for each section.
“I think that the new system is definitely more efficient,” junior Natalie Pando said. “There’s less skipping in the lunch lines and all of the stations are less crowded, so you don’t have to push and shove your way to the front to get your food.”
Overall, the new lunch system will take some time to get used to, and although students are still attached to the old way, the administration believes that this is a step in the right direction for the school and the students.
