Students complain daily about the lack of lunch options they have in the Northmont cafeteria. An open-campus lunch would offer benefits, which would include preparation for the real world.

It’s important for students to get a grasp of healthy choices for food, and to be able to decide between what’s good for them and what’s not. With a wider variety of out-of-school lunch options, students would be able to create their own healthy habits. Branching out to restaurants at lunch time will prepare students for the real world and make it easier for students who are striving for their own healthy lifestyle.

Students often think school gives them no time for themselves, and no time for their outside lives. With an open-campus lunch, students will get the freedom they want and need. They will be able to make up for the lost time they sometimes don’t get after school because of mounds of homework. Along with freedom, students will gain extra time to do homework from morning classes, which will allow more afterschool time for extracurricular activities.

Finally, with an open-campus lunch, students will grasp the concept of responsibility. With the real world approaching, students should get a taste of what it’s like. When students have the privilege of leaving during scheduled lunch times, they are tested in the amount of responsibility they have. Some may argue with such freedom, students may take advantage of the privilege and not come back at the scheduled time. However, when students are disciplined because they’ve abused a privilege, they also gain the knowledge of responsibility.

The Heath Impact Project reports one of three high schools has an open-campus lunch. Locally, Centerville and Oakwood are amongst open-campus high schools. Northmont needs to feed the demand for open-campus lunch as well.