WOODBURY – “Oh, this again?”

“I just ate and I’m still hungry.”

We’ve all heard the refrains, the complaints, and the remorse. It’s time to grow up and lay off the lunch offerings on campus. The Nonnewaug lunch room, like many high schools, is a place of gossip, where students can come and take a break from classes and decompress. 

However, there’s always that one person who simply won’t stop complaining about the food options. Maybe they’re a picky eater, or maybe a spoiled brat whose mom forgot to pack their lunch for the day, but either way, their insensitive and uneducated words can bruise the egos of those responsible for preparing hundreds of food items for NHS students daily.

Unfortunately, many students and parents are simply ignorant of how much work truly goes into each and every meal served here at Nonnewaug. The lunch staff works their hardest to provide options for any and all students, from vegetarian options to the traditional fare of cheeseburgers. They consistently prove that even with restrictions, they can produce tasty and nutritious meals to the best of their abilities, five days of the week. 

“I think people underestimate the sheer amount of food they have to prepare,” said NHS senior Reece Davis. “I mean, to prepare food for hundreds of students is a lot of work.”  

Many students who consistently eat the school lunches like to add their opinions on how it could be better, whether it be, “This is not seasoned enough,” or, “I miss the Lay’s chips from the deli.” However, many are unaware of the limitations the staff faces when cooking food.

I, for one, am simply tired of hearing people complain. 

“The meals that the food service department prepares are fresh and wholesome. We take pride in knowing that the students are receiving well-balanced meals,” said Tamika Lui-Amaral, Region 14’s food service manager. 

When making meals, the staff must be especially conscious of student dietary needs and restrictions of the student body. The kitchen staff  is limited by sodium concentrations, types of grains, percentage of fat in meat, and many other factors.

“To ensure that we are offering nutritious meals to our students, we follow a weekly meal pattern that is part of the National School Lunch Program,” said Lui-Amaral. “Whole grain rich breads must be offered. We do have flexibility on other products, providing they meet the standards for certain dietary specs such as calories and sodium. We are also limited to usage of fruits and vegetables — they must be harvested in the USA.” 

Lui-Amaral explained that she loves her job; she enjoys engaging in conversation with and seeing students happy with the meal choices the staff provides. She further emphasized that given the opportunity, she wouldn’t change much other than the French fries. 

Other than the restrictions on the lunch offerings based on the makeup of said food, the lunch staff is also restricted by the school budget. 

“Budget is a big part as we look for items with the best quality as well as the biggest bang for our buck.  There is no real option for [Region 14] to be able to charge more for a meal if we want to purchase the expensive items. We have [to have] the ability to be able to break down what the cost of each meal is, as to what the amount is charged for the meal,” said Region 14 director of finance and operations Tina Tanguay, who works with the district-wide food manager, school administration, and with EdAdvance to review the different nutritional options that can be served to students.

Tanguay further explained that meals are specifically priced to reflect each portion, what you get with it, and what you’re actually getting.

“[Take a] hamburger meal, for example. [That includes] a hamburger, bun, ketchup, French fries, apple, and milk. Now [also factor in] the cost of the tray, utensil, napkin, the percent of employee salary, and employee benefits,” Tanguay elaborated. “Looking at the [school district’s] budget pulled together for 2023-24, 36% [of the food service budget] was for food costs, 5% was for supply costs, and 59% for salary and benefit costs.”

This goes to show just how much thought is truly put into each and every meal. Nonnewaug staff works very hard on all of the budget and the lunch is definitely no different.

So, with that being said…

Lay off.

This is the opinion of Chief Advocate reporter Dayton Griffin, a senior at Nonnewaug.