Compared to last year, school lunches only consisted of two options. Nowadays, students get to choose from multiple, delicious options including: pizza bar, nacho bar, chicken sandwiches, cheeseburgers, and one specialty item every day. Don’t worry, there is also a salad bar and fresh fruit and vegetables for the students to choose from everyday.  These new options create variety for students to choose from so they don’t have to have the same boring meal everyday.

Some students may think the food is great, and some not so much. So I asked two students from GPHS to review the food and tell me what they like best about it. This is what they had to say. Hunter Hayden, a senior at GPHS, says. “I would say the new company has done a great job of giving students multiple options every day, so they get more choice in what they eat. As a teacher’s kid, I’ve moved around to a lot of different schools, and this is nothing like what we had in the past. All of the food tastes great and is something students actually enjoy. Overall, the new company allows all students to pick an option they like.” 

Sophomore Jamey Joplin, echoed Hunter’s praise for the new food service company choice offerings, but had this to say, “I like that every day you have the same options, so you know what you like and how to mix it up. But sometimes the food is cold, and they don’t have enough of one option for everyone to have.” Jamey’s favorite food to get is the spicy chicken sandwich and nachos. He likes these options because there is a good amount of protein. He also likes how you can supersize and get more food, so people with a bigger appetite can be fulfilled. Joplin’s least favorite food item is pizza, because it is usually cold.”  Both of these students have things they love and don’t love about our new lunch, but if one thing is clear, it is a huge improvement from last year.

Although students are grateful for their new lunch, we are also super grateful for our lunch ladies. Jody King, one of our lunch ladies here at GPHS, is loved by every student in the building. I asked her a few questions about our new lunch and what she likes about it, and this is what she had to say. “I really like the new menu, and I like the new flavors compared to last year. I think the food is delicious, and my favorite food is the chicken nachos. My favorite thing about being a lunch lady is feeding people. I work at GPHS and Station 54, and I love it. One thing I wish I could change is the ability to change the menu. This is because I know what students will eat and what they won’t eat, and changing the menu ensures that I’m making something the students will eat. My favorite thing about the new lunch is the fact that they don’t have a sign-up sheet and that there are so many choices instead of having just one or two; we now have a lot of choices.” As you can see, Jody is very grateful to serve the kids every day, and she looks forward to putting a smile on students’ faces.

Overall, students at GPHS are appreciative of the new lunch system. It creates variety for students to choose from, and they are very grateful for that. Students are thankful for Jody and every other person who helps out with making and preparing lunches for the students. Without them, our school lunches wouldn’t be made with love and wouldn’t be as great as they are. In conclusion, our new lunch from Chartwells has been a great addition to our school.