Waiting for lunch to roll around can seem like forever some days. Lunch at Galena High School is a time when I can relax and take a break from school. Getting to sit down with my friends and catch up is a breath of fresh air that is much needed. Lunch is a great time to eat and socialize after the tiring school day that most of us have had. 

Although my favorite part of lunch is the social aspect, there are numerous students who would argue that eating is their favorite part. “I eat the school’s lunch every day, and with the salt and pepper packets, I will happily chow down my entire lunch tray,” said Joey Heller ‘23.

 However, not everyone can eat hot lunch every day like Heller. There are picky eaters like me, and on those days, I either pack myself a cold lunch or I sign up for our school’s salads. The salads are always a reliable lunch that will fill me up, and they have good snacks, such as Chex-Mix. Whether it is hot lunch, a salad, or cold lunch, everyone is getting much-needed energy to power through until the end of the day.

This school year the upperclassmen have noticed something different during their lunches. A lot of the freshmen stand up about 10 minutes before lunch gets out and will wander around just socializing. Perhaps it is due to the COVID lunch years and social distancing, but the upperclassmen were surprised by this at first. So far this year it has become a ritual that I am starting to get used to, but still find weird. “Every day I see what seems to be the entire class of 2026 standing in the lunchroom congregating,” said Julia Holland ‘23. 

Let’s see if this will become a new lunchroom tradition that the freshmen carry on.