At the start of each school year, students open Infinite Campus to check their schedule and what their lunch period is. While third period and seventh period are often considered the worst lunch times, seventh period lunch is the absolute worst. By then, there is barely any food left and what remains is already cold. The cafeteria is dirty and feels very crowded as well.

Both freshman year and this year I have had seventh period lunch. Seventh period begins at 1:07 p.m. and ends at 1:49 p.m. I don’t typically eat breakfast, so waiting for lunch to come around is horrible. Oftentimes, I am in class with my stomach growling because I am so hungry! Not only is it very late to eat lunch for most, but by this time the cafeteria has been open for four periods prior, and the food runs out within the first 15 minutes of the period starting. If you want fries, you better be prepared to wait five minutes for stale ones. People practically fight for the two or three curly fries that are left over and shove others to get the unsalted and cold leftovers. Once you get your food, you can forget about getting any sauce other than ketchup because they will already be gone.

Since there have been four other lunches before, the tables are also quite dirty. There are crumbs and spilled sauces in need of cleaning and there are sometimes water spills on the floor. One time, there was a huge blob of ketchup on the table, which in my opinion is absolutely disgusting, and when I went to look for napkins to clean it all up, there were none! I had to search the entire lunchroom to find one roll of paper towels to clean up the mess. Any time I sit down at my table for lunch, there is without a doubt a pile of crumbs that need to be brushed off.

I also feel as if seventh period is extremely crowded, and though the lunch room is always freezing when you walk in– the number of kids in there will be sure to warm the place up. If you do not run to the lunch line the second the doors open for the cafeteria, you’ll end up waiting a long time, and by then they probably won’t have what you want.

The only thing I like about seventh period lunch is that since it’s so late in the day, I think about how after lunch, I only have two more classes left before the day is over. It’s the only benefit to eating at 1 p.m. and helps me push through the hunger and chaos that comes with having the the last lunch period of the day.