Remove the Lunch Tent!

Remove the Lunch Tent!

Sofia Tulumello, Arts & Culture Editor
October 20, 2021

Recently at North Shore Middle School the lunch area has changed from eating in the field to eating in the tent. Many students aren’t happy about it, including me. Instead of going outside and eating lunch on the field, we have to eat in a tent. The seats aren’t allowed to move and some may find it hard to sit with their friends. There is a cacophony of sounds, and it all makes it too loud to hear ourselves speak. We should go back to eating on the field. In short, it is too loud in there, we don’t have enough freedom and the field provides a nicer atmosphere.
 
One reason why we should go back to eating on the field is how loud it is in the tent! For example, as I’m walking down from the cafeteria to the tent, I can hear the sounds from that far away. Now imagine what it must feel like to be in there eating lunch. Also, for students on the spectrum, it could be a loud and uncomfortable environment. Sitting in the cafeteria is not a viable solution. That would make the student feel isolated and that isn’t ideal. Finally, the noise makes it hard to talk during lunch; sometimes I have to yell at the top of my lungs for anyone to hear me. This clearly illustrates how the loud tent is not the most ideal place to eat lunch and justifies a reason to go back to the field.
 
Another reason why we should go back to eating on the field is that we don’t have enough freedom. To begin with, on the field we get to pick anywhere to sit in a wide area, but in the tent, it’s very restricted, and we don’t get a lot of breathing room. Many students agree with this as well.
Here is a quote from 6th-grade student Ronan Morales: “In middle school, I should have more freedom than sitting in tents on a blacktop.”
6th-grade student Giavonna “Gia” Reyes says, “I wish I had more freedom.” Also, we aren’t supposed to be moving the chairs, and the way they are makes it even harder to sit with friends. Finally, we aren’t even allowed to move around freely and change where our seats are. Thus, this tent initiates no freedom and we do deserve freedom as a right. Even though we may be young, as American citizens we still deserve freedom. 
 
A final reason why we should go back to eating on the field is that the atmosphere is better there than in the tent. In the first place, on the field, it’s beautiful, lush, and green and on the blacktop, it’s very… gray. Also, the field has many different sun or shade options, and the blacktop has only shade. Finally, even students aren’t happy about the change! Here is a quote from a 6th grader who wishes to be anonymous, “I would rather go back to what we did before.” Ava Haining adds on, “In the fall it gets cold in the shade, you don’t get to socialize with your friends as much and if you finish lunch early, you have to wait to go to recess.” This shows how the lunch tent is not the nicest atmosphere and we should go back to eating on the field.  
 
Some may argue that the reason we eat on the field is that students made a mess by throwing their trash everywhere,  but if there were more trashcans in the field that problem can disappear. We can also make a petition to stop littering on the field. Taking away a good privilege isn’t always the best way to solve a problem and I know that the student body genuinely cares about the field. 
 
In the final analysis, the tent is way too loud for comfort, we don’t have enough freedom and the atmosphere is not the nicest. I believe that eating on the field is the better choice. I hope that soon we can go back to eating on the field to have a more enjoyable lunchtime.