Seventy five percent of the students at Harriton High School have experienced RAM and A, B, and C lunches for a maximum of 3 years. However, as the new 2015 school year began, a new schedule was produced to help maximize learning and accommodate the new and larger freshman class. While some loved having different lunches and RAM at the end of the day, the majority of students seem to have a very similar view towards Lunch and Learn. We interviewed a senior and a freshman to get a closer look at how people feel about the new Lunch and Learn Schedule.

William Willkomm, a senior who has attended Harriton for four years, told us how he felt about Lunch and Learn. He shares, “ It is similar to having a free in the middle of the day. If you have work to do, you can do it, and if not, you are able to hang out with your friends and relax.” William later claimed, “I prefer Lunch and Learn over A, B, and C lunches because I am able to sit with all of my friends everyday.”

One of the reasons Lower Merion and Harriton switched to the Lunch and Learn system was to help boost the amount people who were able to get help from teachers. At the same time, it is designed to allow people to do what they want with their free lunch hour. William was asked if he found the Learn 1 and Learn 2 more effective than RAM and he said, “I find it more effective because RAM was a shorter amount of time where you were required to go somewhere. Lunch and Learn shows trust and willingness between staff and students to learn and be prepared for school.” From a senior’s perspective, Lunch and Learn seems to be a great alternative to the previous lunch schedule. Overall, William had very positive things to say about the lunch and learn schedule.

The Freshman Class of 2019 doesn’t know anything other than Lunch and Learn, so we decided to get a ninth grader’s view on it as well. Frehsman, Sophia Udicious, has her own positive views surrounding Lunch and Learn. When asked for her opinion on Lunch and Learn, she responded, “I like how we can eat wherever we want because the cafeteria can be too noisy. And I like how you can see a different teacher each day rather than once a day in their class.” Since Sophia is a freshman she has never experienced RAM before so, we decided to ask her if she finds that the “learn” sessions will be beneficial to students when they need help. Sophia said, “Definitely. You can see a teacher a lot and you can spend both sessions learning if necessary. And I just think it’s more time to talk to the teachers you want to talk to.” Lastly we asked Sophia if she thinks Lunch and Learn is ideal for the number of the students the school now has, considering she is a part of the biggest grade in the school. Sophia answered with, “I think it is because it will help. However, every place seems to be messy now and I feel badly for the custodians considering students can sit wherever they please.” Even though Sophia knows nothing different, she clearly finds Lunch and Learn a beneficial factor for students.

Generally speaking, it seems that the students find Lunch and Learn to be a great way to get work done and find the help that they need while also having the opportunity to relax with friends. Clearly, students find Lunch and Learn an effective and beneficial change to the schedule. Overall students seem to really enjoy the new schedule, just like faculty was hoping.