All throughout high school I looked up the senior class and the privileges they had. My junior year all senior privileges got revoked, this includes off-campus lunch, parking privileges, and senior pranks without threatening our chance to graduate. The one privilege I always looked forward to was off-campus lunch. Off-campus lunch is typically a reward given to those who are doing well in their classes and are up to par with their attendance. Why does this matter? How does this benefit students and the community? Off-campus lunch is important because it teaches students to be more responsible and have better time management, it supports local businesses and the community, and it gives students a mental break from the constant stress that they are put through.

When schools provide the opportunity to have off-campus lunch, it is usually set up as a reward for students. At my school it was if a student’s grades were passing  and the student’s attendance was good, then the student was allowed to go out during their lunch period as long as they were back before their next class started. This meant they could only miss a set number of classes and could have no more than three tardies per month to be rewarded with the opportunity to go off-campus during their lunch. At that time, I saw an increase in motivated students that were working hard just to have the opportunity to have a break from school, even if it is only for a lunch period.  Another drastic change I saw in my upperclassmen was the fact that they were able to manage their time wisely because of this.  Since they knew they had to be back at a certain time, they chose where to eat and determined whether or not it was within their time range. 

Moreover, I believe that if we were to have off-campus lunch, we would be able to help our school save more money. Alyssa from Uhshawkeye.com states that open lunch options could  “Also help the families who are trying to save money because they do not have to provide their children with money to buy their lunches when they could eat lunch from the comfort of their house.” For me, this resonates a lot since my parents can’t always give me money to buy a school lunch. If high school seniors had the chance to go home, even for a short period of time, they would be able to relieve some financial pressures off their parents. 

This idea of an open-campus lunch time could also allow the students to go out and support their local businesses. Susan Revermann of Classroom.synonym.com  supports the idea by stating “The local businesses that receive the teenage patrons could make donations or support the school in other ways.” This could include catering to schools for dances, helping sponsor students or events, or donating food for team dinners. In small towns, public support is sometimes all local businesses really have to become a well-known name, and students could help that. In our town, we have both new and well-known food spots that almost all the seniors know about. For example, we have a barbeque place called “Cowboys BBQ”, and they are just a family run business. However, they became popular in our town once the kids started eating there; in return, they helped sponsor some of our sports events, and even helped provide food for school events on multiple occasions. They are now one of our town's most frequented food places. 

Apart from teaching students responsibility and supporting local businesses, off-campus lunch gives students an overall mental break from the constant stress of big tests and social interactions. Dania Robinson from Bryan High Norseman states, “The students would get a break from being stuck in school all day and give them a boost of energy allowing them to be more refreshed and focused throughout the rest of the day.” Students will get to destress from being stuck in a school environment for seven to eight hours a day. Not only will this help with stress but it will also provide productivity after the lunch period. Students are typically rowdy and rambunctious coming back from the cafeteria, and I believe it is due to the fact that there is no change of scenery. Even if the change of scenery is interaction with a fast food clerk or the next menu in town, the students will be able to come back to class with a fresh state of mind and a full stomach. 

The school faculty is able to have their lunch delivered and they are allowed to go off- campus. I understand that they are adults and they went to college but it isn’t fair. We are trying to get into college and change the world, but we are treated like prisoners every day. We have been promised multiple privileges like the seniors in the past have had and received nothing. Decorating our graduation caps, painting the parking spots, and eating off- campus. The classes in the past have messed up their opportunities but we haven’t even been given one.

Overall, off-campus lunch has been proven to be relieving to both students and their communities in many ways. Yes there’s always questions about safety and car-wreck preventions, but that gives the students the opportunity to learn the lessons of responsibility and growth while going into their more independent years ahead. This idea would help students improve both mentally and academically since they would be able to have a mental break from their worries at school. There should be precautions and limits, but not all students should carry the burden of another being irresponsible. Those students who aren't responsible enough to receive off-campus lunch may look back on their mistakes and face these challenges by raising their grades and attendance rate. This being said, off-campus lunch will provide students with the opportunity to teach these students responsibility and support our community while lowering their stress levels.

We are the future leaders of America, we deserve to be treated fairly until each individual has proven not to be trusted. Not as whole.