By Stephanie Harvey and Kathryn Kochanowicz
Staff Writers

For a lot of students lunch is their favorite time of the day. So, can’t we make the most of our selections at lunch?
Many students eat the cafeteria’s food a couple to a few times a week, if not everyday, so Neshaminy should be trying to offer more options for students. A normal student lunch consists of the choice of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, hoagies, pizza, a vegetable, milk and the special for that day. There is also the choice of a variety of iced teas and flavored drinks and various snacks at the Snack Stand.
However, the teachers’ lunch choices are greater in number. As a teacher, they have the choice of everything that is offered to students, the students’ special and their own special. Their specials seem more like something you would order at a restaurant instead of a pizza place.
“It is probably not worth it to the cafeteria to prepare a bunch of selections that only a relatively few students will buy…it is reasonable to have the cafeteria make a bit more of whatever it is making for the teachers, and making it available to students,” said Neshaminy science teacher, Dr. Oliveira.
“Student lunches must follow the National School Lunch Program outlined by the USDA…requirements over a week’s time. Teacher lunches are not limited to the USDA restrictions,” said Food Service Director of Neshaminy, Marie Wallace.
However, if some students would be willing to pay the extra money why can’t we at least supply the food and leave it to our choice? “I would rather have the option to get a cheap slice of pizza or a big taco salad and pay extra money than not have the option at all,” said freshman Katie Lawless.
The menus for the teachers’ lunches for various weeks during the year are without a doubt of better quality than our student lunch options. Students go to school for a little over seven hours a day and we should be served good food that helps fuel us through the day’s activities.
“The Food Service Cafeteria Managers and I create the menus (with student input) and with products available to us from the distributors,” Wallace said. However, students don’t seem to put input in school menus. In the future, we would wish to see student input more evident in the meal choices.
Wallace went on to say changes in school lunches will go into effect starting next year. These changes are set to “implement the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.”