Off-Campus Lunch for Juniors

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit Gibbons, many aspects of the school were changed. Due to limited space to eat lunch while attempting to enforce social distancing, the decision to let juniors leave campus for lunch was made. Even though campus has returned to a semblance of normalcy, juniors still retain that privilege. However, many parents and teachers are wary of this development, and students face some challenges as well.

Educators have their reservations about juniors leaving campus for lunch. Having students come to class late or with food is a disruption to the learning environment, and it’s not difficult for sophomores to go off-campus with upperclassmen friends. Some, like Mrs. Taylor, feel like having juniors off-campus takes away from the Gibbons culture that used to be present during the lunch periods. Also, as a parent, she knows the worry about the extra risk that always comes with letting your teenager get into a car, especially rushing back to school to get to class on time.

“I think there was more conversation and probably more relationship building when the juniors were on campus. As a junior, you’re kind of with your set group of friends that you go to lunch with and you never really get to meet other people outside of that where being at school might force that,” Taylor said.

If there are so many issues surrounding going off-campus, why does Gibbons still allow it, and how could they fix it? Many students and staff feel that there are few options. With few spaces to eat and pricey, limited choices, leaving campus gives students the most control. 

“There’s so many people and it gets really crowded and it can be overwhelming,” junior Megan Alger said.

Many juniors don’t have the privilege of parking in the student lot and have to find a friend in their lunch to ride with. In addition, with gas and food prices rising, many students want to go off-campus but don’t want to go broke. To cut down on time spent off-campus and reduce the chances of getting a tardy, check out these places to eat. 

15 Restaurants within a 15 minute radius of Gibbons:

1. Bojangles, 0.2 miles–$
2. Wendy’s, 0.3 miles–$
3. Wade Cafe, 0.3 miles–$
4. Spring Rolls, 0.3 miles–$$
5. Shake Shack, 0.4 miles–$$
6. McDonald’s, 1.1 miles–$
7. Hardee’s, 1.2 miles–$
8. Sonic, 1.4 miles–$
9. Chick-fil-A, 2.2 miles–$
10. Cook Out, 2.4 miles–$
11. Taco Bell, 2.6 miles–$
12. Jason’s Deli, 3 miles–$$
13. Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 3.1 miles–$
14. Noodles and Company, 3.1 miles–$
15. Zaxby’s, 3.2 miles–$$