The Oshkosh West Index - Cafeteria chaos cements split schedule

Volume 103, Issue 8

Online Features

Cafeteria chaos cements split schedule

By Robin Karlin
posted 11:25:58 AM CST, May 24, 2007

Spawned from a less than hygenic dining atmosphere, a new lunch schedule has been approved for the 2007-’08 school year. In order to ease the stress of a hectic lunch hour, freshmen have been separated into their own period.

“We’ve fought for years to try and keep the lunch as one, but it’s starting to get away from our control,” said Principal Pete Cernohous. “We’ve decided to turn it into two hours, freshmen during the first and the second for sophomores through seniors. Meanwhile, the other section of students will still be in class.”

Besides being scheduled to an isolated lunch hour, the freshmen will not be allowed to leave the building.

“We’re just not going to let anybody leave the building at all during the first lunch period,” said Cernohous. “It will be the easiest way to keep track of everybody.”

The separation of classes raises concerns for many clubs, as previously their meeting times have often been scheduled during lunch.

“Lunch is regarded as sort of common time for clubs to be able to get together,” said Cernohous.

In order to compensate for lost meeting time, a special “activity period” schedule has been planned for every Friday.

“There’s going to be an activity period on Fridays for those clubs who can’t meet during lunch,” Cernohous said.

In addition to being a time for clubs to get together, the short class can also serve as an advisory or seminar period.

“We haven’t got a name for it yet, maybe something like ‘Wildcat Time’,” said Cernohous. “Students will be able to get a pass to go to whatever classes they need to get help from.”

Cernohous notes that not all clubs integrate all four grades in their membership, and thus could still manage to meet during their lunch period.

“Lunch meetings will still work fine for clubs that are all upperclassmen, or all freshmen,” he said. “For example, the O’Neil National Honor Society only has juniors and seniors, so they can still meet during lunch.”

Perhaps the activity with the most difficulties is the immortal Snowblast. Cernohous realizes that there are still a few bugs to be worked out over the course of the year.

“We’ll have to work out stuff like Snowblast, like maybe we’ll have a general period during that week,” he said. “There are lots of little things that we still have to work through.”

With the extra hour in the schedule, a new opportunity is provided for students who find themselves having to choose between two classes.

“We’ll try to make sure that nobody is stuck without a lunch,” said Cernohous. “However, we wouldn’t want to stand in the way of anybody’s academic endeavors; if they wanted to take a class during both hours, I suppose we could let them.”

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