One of the many battles that students face everyday in high school is the anticipation of lunch time and who are they going to sit with. Arlington High School has about 1,700 students enrolled and only three lunches with limited room and seating.

The pressure is already on them, but now they have to deal with the possibility of not having enough room to take a seat. Some students don’t even sit in the lunchroom because there is a lack of space.

Allison Deberry, a sophomore at AHS,  said this about there not being enough room in the commons: “I don’t even sit in the lunchroom, I go to a classroom because every time I’ve tried, there isn’t enough room for me and my friends”

With there not being enough space to sit, some students are forced to sit alone, or in a teacher’s classroom. The lack of space causes too many problems for the students attending Arlington High.

Another problem with lunches is the separation of classes and the intermixing of grades. Some people believe it is a good idea, but others would disagree. All grades are spread out during each lunch. It leads to kids not being able to sit with their friends.

Hailee Roberts (‘19) said “the table spacing is fine, but I wish they did lunches by grade not by teachers.”

Students feel safe when they are comfortable and separating all grades leads to more anxiety and stress piled onto the already stressful day of school.

The commons is supposed to be a safe and welcoming place for the students to sit and take a break from school. It is a time for them to relax and hang out with their friends. However with the overcrowded tables, lack of seating, and separating lunch by teachers and not grades causes frustration among students and more stress and worry added onto the day.