A long-held tradition at NVD is that freshmen and sophomores sit in the gym for lunch while juniors and seniors sit in the cafeteria. However some question whether this lunch setup is truly fair.
Every year, when lunch comes around on the first day of school, the same rituals apply: incoming freshmen venture to the North Gym, where they are met with bleachers and given the chance to sit at one of the limited numbers of tables. Sophomores usually cross over to the opposite side of the gym, still stuck with the same old bleachers and few tables.
Juniors, however, have an exciting new change. Now, they get to advance to the cafeteria where bleachers do not exist, the lunch line is conveniently just a few feet away, and everyone has their own seat at a table. Seniors, in most students’ opinion, have it best, with almost every senior leaving school for lunch.
According to freshman Demetra Frangiskou, these traditions are made clear at freshman orientation. This tradition sets the tone for upcoming years.
“During our peer mentor tour, we were shown the North gym and told that freshmen and sophomores eat in this gym during lunch hours,” Frangiskou said.
At first, the gym may not appear so bad, but as the months pass, freshmen soon become aware of the not-so-glorious reality. Especially on a sunny winter day, the North Gym typically gets quite warm.
“I do not enjoy sitting in the gym for lunch because it is always very hot and humid in there,” Frangiskou said.
Senior Maya Cohen agrees that her experience sitting in the gym during her freshman and sophomore years was not so pleasant either.
“I would not say that I enjoyed it, it was stuffy and loud,” Cohen said.
Despite all the cons of the North Gym, the cafeteria does not appear to be the ultimate luxury either. Besides having tables to sit at instead of bleachers, a similar environment applies to the cafeteria.
“Ever since I could drive, I haven’t sat in the cafeteria. Even though it has tables, it is still loud and stuffy,” Cohen said.
Driving is a privilege many seniors appreciate, especially when it comes to lunchtime. Seniors love having the ability to leave school for an hour or so to get lunch and leave the crowded cafeteria.
“I love having privileges to leave school during lunch. I leave every single day, and it is really nice being able to have a short break from school by being able to leave during the day,” Cohen said. “I can either choose to go home or eat out with my friends, which are both definitely better than having to stay in school.”
Despite the not-so-glamorous lunch traditions, the one thing many students can agree on is that these traditions are actually quite fair. Juniors and seniors once sat in the North Gym, eating their lunches on the bleachers and dreaming about the day they would get their licenses. So, it is only fair that freshmen and sophomores endure this tradition until they, too, get upperclassmen privileges.
“I think it is fair for the juniors and seniors to eat in the cafeteria because they are older and had to wait for their turn to sit in the cafeteria when they were freshmen and sophomores,” Frangiskou said.
