Here at Grayslake Central High School, students have the choice to not have a lunch period within their day-to-day schedule. Many of them, particularly upperclassmen, choose not to, despite being encouraged to have one. I firmly believe that the students who make this decision are making a mistake.

 The first argument readers are going to use against me is “Lunch will take away from my other classes”. But, really think about it for a second. Without a lunch or a study hall, you will have eight different classes a day, most, if not all of which will be assigning homework, reading, and tests. How much is this going to tire you out?

Studies done by Dr. Andrew Pipe, a professor of the medicine faculty at the University of Ottawa, have shown how, without a change in environment to let your brain regroup and take a break from all the work you do in one day, afternoons will become less productive. Are those additional periods really worth it if you aren’t doing very well in them?

Of course, the main purpose of a lunch period is to eat, and that raises another point in favor of them. You can, generally, eat lunch in class, but that doesn’t mean that you should. If you are concentrated on a class while trying to eat, what will you be doing? Probably wolfing down your lunch, trying to focus on the task at hand. Studies related to the aforementioned one have shown how taking your time to eat aids in digestion by allowing the body time to process the food and reducing acid reflux.

Most critically is the time lunch allows for social interaction. You don’t have much time to talk to your friends in a typical eight-period day, and lunch allows for a bit of time to do just that. Spending time talking to people reduces the stress of a busy day and increases happiness in general.

Overall, lunch periods are important, and take away from the stress of a typical school day. If you are considering omitting lunch from your schedule, think of the benefits of lunch first. You might end up being thankful further down the line.