Healthy Hassle
_______________ prides itself in healthy lunches. Never have we relegated to the typical frozen mush passed off as food in most public schools. However, there are still multiple flaws that result in less supporters. Taste disappointment, too small of portions, lack of variety, and the pain of ordering in advance are all factors that contribute to a majority distaste in school lunches. But how do you appeal to a group of teenagers while still striving for healthy food and keeping in mind the space limitation? A salad bar, soup bar, and sandwich bar would offer quality and variety, quantity, and would help the school profit from a larger portion of students without taking up too much room.
When one class was asked their opinion of the lunches, about 75% of students surveyed responded with they didn’t like the taste of the food, and most of them agreed there wasn’t enough diversity in lunch on a day to day basis. While they may be healthy, ____ needs to keep in mind that they are cooking for the majority, and therefore need to offer multiple options every day. A salad bar, soup bar, and sandwich bar would offer students countless options and appeal to a wide variety. If students seem to be getting bored of the options, the foods offered can be alternated to shake things up. In addition, the favored tradition of pizza on Fridays can be continued, giving students something to look forward to.
Majority also agreed that the portion sizes are too small. While it is a known fact that our nation’s portion sizes are outrageous, we are also all growing, and need more than two chicken fingers and a side of string beans. For the price we pay, $3.85, the food we receive is not worth it for most people because everyone’s portion sizes differ due to different athletic levels, body types, etc. Food could be unlimited for a set price, eliminating the complaint that students aren’t being fed enough because they will be served what is right for them.
It would also allow students to buy the day of. As one student said, “We shouldn’t have to order online. It would be a lot easier if we could buy the day of. Kids don’t have time to go online and order lunch, and half the time we don’t even remember we bought lunch and are reminded the last two minutes.” What happens if someone forgets their lunch? Or decides last minute they want to order? It can be very difficult and stressful to think so far in advance.
A salad bar, soup bar, and sandwich bar at ____ would provide students with quality and a variety of food, give them the portion sizes they need, and make it easier to order; all this, while not taking up too much space. With all this taken care of, ____ would profit, and students would be satisfied.
As always, I started out with a brainstorm of topic ideas, and as soon as I landed on "school lunches" I was like, "Ding! Winner winner winner!" Following that, I brainstormed pros to a salad bar, soup bar, and sandwich bar and why we need them, and then began drafting. After writing the first 100 words or so, I thought, "Wouldn't this be so much stronger if I included student input?" After all, this would prove that I wasn't the only one who felt this way about the school lunches.
So, I started by surveying the five other students in the room, asking them questions like, "Do you like the school lunches? Why or why not?" and "How would you change them if you could?" I jotted down their ideas, and then tallied up their responses to calculate percentages of students who liked the food, thought there was enough variety, etc.
I continued drafting, but after a little more writing I realized that it wasn't accurate to only survey five people, so I went back into ELA class to survey everybody. This gave me a much better picture, and actually affected my results quite a bit considering 75% of the five people surveyed liked the taste of the school lunch, but 75% of the 16 people who voted didn't like the taste. This proves that the more people you interview, the stronger and more accurate your results are. Having student input was really helpful in formulating my Op-Ed because it was like a base to work around.
My biggest challenge came in organizing my Op-Ed. I started off with more of a free-write with no structure because I figured that if I did a 5 paragraph essay it would be way over the 500 word limit. However, as I continued writing, I realized my points weren't clear and my thoughts were scattered. This proves that it is always important, in formal writing, to have a skeleton. By this point I pretty much had all my thoughts typed out, so I rearranged them like a puzzle to see which pieces fit together best.
The final step was to get my Op-Ed down from about 550 words to 500. I did this by re-reading, re-reading, and re-reading some more; each time I found something new to cut. Also, it is important to leave your writing be for a bit to let it settle, and then come back with a fresh pair of eyes. You'll be surprised what you pick up a day or two later! In the end, I was able to get my Op-Ed down to 492 words.
In closing, make sure you come up with a catchy title for your Op-Ed, and any writing piece you do. Your title is the first thing your reader sees, and if it's boring, you might just lose your audience.
Yours,
Megan ;)
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