At the beginning of this school year, freshmen students at LM faced a major change to their schedules: eight different assigned Lunch & Learns. In previous years, freshmen were required to spend one half of their lunch period in the same teacher’s room every day until November, however, for this year, a more dynamic system was introduced: a rotating schedule.
Under this new system, freshmen had been given a log dictating which teacher they must visit for half of lunch on any given day. The rotations were based off of the students’ last names. For example, those whose last names start with A or B are assigned to their first set teacher on the first day. This system repeats over an eight-day cycle, which allows students to meet with each of their teachers at least once. To ensure attendance, students were required to have their logs signed by each teacher they visit. Kianna Else ’28 expressed her appreciation for this new system saying it was “good to get to know my teachers more than I would in just a regular class.”
This adjustment arose partially due to previous scheduling complications, which has led the administration to rethink the lunch schedule for freshmen. Assistant Principal Karen deFranco explained that the goal was to create a system that benefitted freshmen the most, especially as they adapt to LM. “The idea,” deFranco states, “was to get ninth graders in the habit of balancing half an hour for lunch and half an hour for meeting with their teachers.” Additionally, deFranco shares how the system is “in some ways better than what the kids in the past have had,” where students were assigned to one teacher for office hours every day, and often a teacher they did not even have.
Subsequently, some teachers challenged the notion that this new system is better than the previous one. Spanish teacher Tara Pellegrino voiced concerns about the new system’s structure saying, “It is hard for me because I don’t understand who is supposed to be in my room. How am I supposed to hold students accountable for attendance if I don’t know who’s supposed to be there in the first place? If you want freshmen to be accountable and help them transition to the new system, then do a version of what some middle schools are doing. Middle schools have Lunch and Learn, but it’s more structured. You put in a request to go to a certain teacher. If the spots fill up, you get your second or third choice, but either way, you have to go to a teacher, or a teacher can request you if they feel they need to see you during that period.”
Initially, the plan was to keep this new rotation in place until winter break, while the other grades enjoyed the freedom of a regular lunch schedule. However, in a September 18 meeting of the LMSD administrative team, it was decided that the system needed to be revised. deFranco explained, “We made the decision to stop using this system because 95 percent of these students know what they are doing. So, we said, let’s just assign the kids who are struggling academically to a certain teacher.”
As a result, the freshmen now enjoy the same Lunch & Learn freedom as the rest of the school. This shift has been met with positive feedback from students. Lily Springer ’28 said, “I honestly think the [new] Lunch & Learn system is really smart and helpful, and I don’t think I would change anything about it. I like the freedom and opportunity to meet with other teachers!”
On the opposite end, reactions among upperclassmen have been mixed. Alex France ’26, who experienced the old Lunch & Learn system, shared his frustrations: “As a junior, I am annoyed by it because it means more people are circulating in the lunch line…but if I were a freshman, I would be happy.”
Whether or not LM will continue to use this system in the future remains uncertain. While many freshmen appreciate the freedom, it is up in the air whether this will become a permanent feature at LM. deFranco hinted at a potential continuation, saying “In future years, we will probably wait and see if this works. If it does, maybe we won’t go back—but we don’t have an answer to that at this point.” Ultimately, this new system is a work in progress, and only time will tell if it’s the best fit for future freshmen.
