From 12:05 to 12:55 every Gallatin High student knows the GHS cafeteria. A line with no clear end forms by the start of lunch only to dwindle after twenty minutes has passed. Going out for lunch? Think again if you don’t own a car. And if you do, dear reader, think of your options. The closest is a gas station, not to mention the traffic and chaos involved with getting a decent parking spot when you return. Thus, most at Gallatin High School find themselves in our expansive lunch line.

For this many people to wait for a Gallatin High School meal, the food must be amazing, right? For the typical meal of an entrée of pizza, a deli sandwich or the varying entrée, a fruit, and the optional chocolate or regular milk, our school charges $3.50. This price doesn’t seem bad, but for the quality the school puts out? Student sophomore Ben Gilmer states, “Most of the stuff isn’t great and it sucks that it isn’t free anymore.” Gilmer goes on to argue “The whole nutritional encouragement would be a lot more effective if the produce were actually good,” in reference to the fruit GHS offers with meals. Due to the fact that students receive a discounted meal if they select a fruit or vegetable, most students take one or the other, however a majority of said fruits and vegetables end up in a trash can or the donationbin. Not only does this display the improper nutrition at GHS but this also shows food being wasted in vast amounts. Furthermore, on the nutritional value of our school’s lunch, sophomore Analisa Taylor claims, “I think it lacks the proper nutrients to feed growing teenagers.

The taste of it doesn’t help. Especially if you are a person who can’t afford lunch at home so you get school food, in which [case] the price is also horrendous.” So our school lunch is said to be of poor quality and not even worth the price by our own student body. If the school food is not to your liking, why not go somewhere else? In comparison to Bozeman High School, GHS is majorly lacking in nearby options for food. Looking at BHS, their school has many fast food restaurants and nutritional options nearby. Such as McDonalds, Wendy’s, Jersey Mike’s, and the Bozeman Community Food Co-op. Such places are within walking distance for those without cars and those who do not want to lose a parking space. Gallatin simply does not have options like Bozeman does.

Overall, Gallatin High School shows nothing but an inefficient system with no alternates. From the line to the price, GHS lunch disappoints our students. With poor quality, especially concerning fruits and vegetables, Gallatin’s lunch proves itself to not be worth the time nor money. Our choices are limited in what we eat, as there is nothing within a walking distance. This only adds to the issues in the already hectic parking lot in a battle for a parking spot whilst returning from lunch.

In conclusion, our lunch system simply doesn’t work for most of the student body and needs improvements to be a well functioning system for our students. It is clear to see the school cannot change what is built nearby for lunch options, but the school can take strides in improving quality within our menu to match the price of our food. A start for instance could be the fruits and vegetables served here at GHS by changing the provider to one who provides better quality to our school. Until such changes have been made, our lunch system remains one of our school’s major issues. Ultimately this isn’t a call out to our staff as they work very hard to provide us with lunch and they are just doing their jobs, this however, is targeted towards those who control the prices and quality of our lunch such as the school.