Imagine walking into a cafeteria overflowing with hungry students and no available seats. There has been a great influx of freshmen this 2017 to 2018 school year and it is causing students to have trouble finding space to sit and eat during lunch. As a result, students have to share seats or stand, leading to uncomfortable high school students    +.

Currently, there are about 3,500 students enrolled at SHS. Due to the large amount of students present every year, the school has divided the lunches into first and second lunch. First lunch has around 1,800 students and second lunch has around 1,600 students.

There are approximately 900 seats inside of the cafeteria and roughly 750 seats outside, totaling to 1,650 seats in the lunch area. The amount of space is sufficient for second lunch. However, first lunch has 1,800 students, and since there are fewer seats than there are students, there would be about 150 students with no place to sit. Therefore, over a hundred students have to sit on the floor or stand and eat, which results in discomfort.

Freshman Wesley Diaz said, “I sit in the sun because there is no space inside and I don’t want to sit on the floor. It’s very hot outside and it’s uncomfortable.”

During most of the school year, at approximately 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the temperature outside runs mostly in the 80s, but can reach up to the mid 90s towards the beginning and the end of the school year. Even if the temperature is lower during this time, the sun is close to being at its highest point in the sky. This means that students have to face the harsh sunlight if they cannot sit inside or in the shade to eat lunch.

Brenda Weber, the head of lunch staff, said, “We would really like to have a third lunch. It would allow more space for students to sit and it is an ease for students to get lunch. [Also, the lines] won’t be as long.”

Another possible solution could be to add more overhangs, table umbrellas, or canopies to provide more shaded areas so students can comfortably eat outside.