MHS alters 24-25 lunch shift schedule
Students should expect a change in lunch schedules for the 2024-2025 school year: instead of four lunch shifts, there will be three.
“I’m not aware of any effects to class schedules this may have as of right now because we’re still planning all the aspects of it,” Senior Principal Amy Sturges said.
Ultimately, the decision was made in the hopes of balancing schedules on A-Days, but it also was made to give custodians a breather.
“It allows a little break for our cafeteria staff to reset,” Sturges said.
“Right now, fourth hour is longer to accommodate four lunch shifts, but switching to three will push minutes back into the other classes on A days. Everything else will stay the same.”
— Tracey Waeckerle
For Rhea Sen, junior, fourth hour on A-Days seems to last forever. The administration last altered lunch schedules in 2020, moving from three to four lunch shifts because of staff shortages, high enrollment and COVID-19.
“I like the three lunch shift idea because on A-Days there is such an imbalance of classes and we always end up doing something in fourth hour that the other classes don’t get to,” Sen said.
Fourth hour is currently 31 minutes longer on A-Days than all other hours, but with the lunch shift changes, it’ll be around the same length as all other classes.
“Right now, fourth hour is longer to accommodate four lunch shifts, but switching to three will push minutes back into the other classes on A days,” said Principal Tracey Waeckerle, “Everything else will stay the same.”
On block days there will most likely be a gap in place of second or third lunch to give cafeteria workers more time to clean up and prepare for the next shift. Many sciences and P.E. Teachers require students to have first or fourth lunch because class time cannot be interrupted.
“We seem to be catching back up on custodial and cafeteria staff shortages, so we decided to put that time back into other classes,” Dr. Waeckerle said.
