As a freshman and sophomore in high school, the 40 minute lunch period seemed to suffice. On the contrary, as a junior finally able to take advantage of the privilege to go off-campus, there isn’t nearly enough time. So why am I paying $10-$15 to be late to class?

Even if I leave my class right when the bell rings and run to the car, it takes forever (no joke, eternities) to get out of the parking lot. Not only that but once you finally get out of the parking lot after you showed your off-campus pass and were cleared to go, you now are faced with the challenge of endless traffic comprised of other students trying to go out for lunch. And once you finally escape the traffic that barricades you from every angle, you arrive at your desired lunch spot. Where other people, might I add, are trying to get lunch at the same time, so now you must conquer foot traffic! Scary–social confrontation! I know what you are thinking: that much traffic? The answer is yes, that much traffic, traffic of all kinds. Then you must purchase your lunch, and often times have no time to eat, so you blast off into your car going speeds (slightly) over the limit just to make it to class on time.

Typically, my friends drive me, so I’m thankfully able to eat in the car. But they do not have that privilege, and must still find an available parking spot, then make it back to class by the end of the passing period. For my friends who drive, some of their classes do not allow them to eat in class, so they might as well have just flushed their cash down the toilet. Or, there is the option of scarfing down a few bites of your food, and then proceeding to throw it away, which defeats the purpose of even going off-campus.

I strongly believe that an extra 20 minutes of lunch would be just enough time to go off campus, eat, and come back and go to class to class in the desired time frame.

After speaking to various Santiago students about the issue they have said the following:

“If I go to my house off-campus–which isn’t far–I can only really sit down for 5 minutes until I have to make my way back to school. It’s kind of pointless because I don’t get to unwind. There’s just not enough time to go back and forth, eat, and get to class on time without being late.”

-Breana Knighten (11)

“If anyone has an off-campus pass, you really don’t have enough time to do basically anything. I’d rather have a longer lunch and just leave school around 3.”

-Ava Kavanagh (11)

Not only would it beneficial for upperclassmen, but lowerclassmen as well, a longer lunch period would allow for more socializing, which is healthy for students because human connection is needed for a stable and healthy mental state. Students can also take advantage of the extra time to study, get ahead on their assignments, and ask their teachers for assistance.