The fact that kids can leave campus to explore the restaurants or go home, relax on the couch, and have a snack, is unique. Our district lets kids at Berkley High School have freedom and have the trust from the school to be able to do that. It is a privilege that BHS lets all grades go out during lunch; this lets kids take a break from school, and recharge their brains. Although, some students don’t have as many opportunities as others. Upperclassmen with cars can go home, get food at a further destination, etc. The underclassmen are limited in where they can go or what they can do. Then the new drivers are still exploring what to do. I will be comparing the three experiences to see how they spend their lunch hours and if there are any similarities or differences.
It’s very rare for a high school to provide an open campus for the students. “About 37% of U.S. high schools have a form of open campus policy,” according to the National Institutes of Health. It’s a very long break for students to enjoy and not worry about schoolwork. It can take their mind elsewhere and reset themselves for the rest of the day.
I was able to interview a freshman, Isaac Rogers, who attends BHS and is now experiencing the open campus during lunch hours for the first time. Let’s dive into what he has to say and how he spends his lunch. I questioned Rogers, “How often do you leave campus for lunch?” He kicked it off by saying, “Every day, but I go to different spots.” Rogers even highlighted at times, “[He walks] home for lunch sometimes, so [he doesn’t] have to spend money.” I was also curious about how Rogers manages his time. He was able to give me his strategy on how he gets back to class on time, “I always leave like five minutes beforehand, but it depends on how far I am.” Hopefully, Rogers stays consistent with his plan so he’s never late to class. As an underclassman right now, I’m pretty jealous that other students can take off for lunch or go home to eat and enjoy. I feel it would make things much easier. I think a lot of freshmen feel the same way. That’s exactly how Rogers felt, and he wished that other students could give him rides to places. I asked Rogers if he ever tried to get rides with the upperclassmen. Rogers replied by saying, “No, but if one of them were to ask me if I wanted one, I would say yes.” It’s cool to discover the perspective of a freshman who is new to open campus and his thoughts about it.
As well as that, I sat down with a sophomore who attends BHS, Josh Hilliard. Hilliard is new to driving and now has the option to go home for lunch, drive to a further restaurant or etc. Now that he has the privilege of going out in the car, I had to ask him a few questions. What is your favorite restaurant/fast food place? Hilliard said, “[His] favorite is Elaine’s Bagels.” Even though Hilliard has a car to go places, he prefers to stay in the area to get Elaine’s Bagels. I was curious how often his friends ask for a ride during lunch, and if it can ever get annoying. Hilliard responded,“Yes, people ask me every day if I can take them places for lunch. I wouldn’t say it’s annoying because I like taking people, but it can be a lot sometimes.” When I asked Hilliard about his time management during lunch, he really made it clear that he keeps an eye on the time at all times. He even mentioned, “I make sure I get a good spot so I can get to class. Most of the time I’m not late.” Finally, since you have a car, how often do you go home? Hilliard started by saying, “I go home when I don’t want to spend lots of money on food, so I would say twice a week.” Hilliard seems to fit right in with all the other drivers.
Now that we heard from a freshman and a new driver, let’s hear from a new voice: Greyson Scalzi, who is a junior at BHS. I started off by asking what his favorite place to eat is. Scalzi first had to say, “All time would be Pita way, Current [is] Jets.” Since Scalzi is now a junior who can drive, he highlighted,, “These days I can order food and go wherever I want, really. A lot better than walking in the cold.” As well as Rogers, I asked Scalzi what his strategy is to get back to class on time. He stated, “I always try to order ahead and take the best route.” He even mentioned that “[he’s] 15 minutes early.” Scalzi obviously has a good system working for him.
As we know, the concept of an open campus during school can offer students a sense of freedom and responsibility. However, the difference between upperclassmen and lowerclassmen plays a major role. Some students can go home or take off and stop for food, while others have limitations on what they can do. At BHS we have the option to find food around campus or stay in. This is what makes it so special;everyone will go through the same thing or have limits to be able to do so much more.
