Natick High School typically follows a four period schedule, with the first block being at 8:15 and the final block ending at 2:17. Each block is 80 minutes, and five minutes of passing time are provided between each period. First period is characterized by sleepiness, grumbling stomachs meet second period, third block contains the four lunch blocks that will be discussed, and fourth period is characterized by a lack of focus (for me, all periods are actually characterized by a lack of focus).

As opposed to a separate period for lunch, Natick High has built in four lunch periods that are considered part of third period. Rather than being 80 minutes, third period is 112 minutes, beginning at 11:05 and ending at 12:52. The third period class a student attends dictates which lunch block they attend, which lasts 22 minutes. However, not all lunch blocks are created equal.

Fourth Lunch (12:30-12:52)

The name itself indicates that this block is the inferior of the lunches. It is already difficult to focus for over six hours in a structured, stationary learning environment. Lunch not only provides a break but satisfies the pangs of hunger that grow increasingly loud during second block. When the clock strikes half past ten, I can hear the stomachs grumble around me during class. Yet, the struggle of making it through a long school day is only amplified when I know that I will have to ignore my needs for another eighty minutes. When children are hungry, they lack energy and focus, ultimately leading to lower academic performance and impairing their ability to learn. Students being able to eat when they are hungry is not only desirable, but is actually beneficial to their learning environment.

First Lunch (11:05-11:27)

Considering that I spent numerous sentences condemning a late lunch, it may seem nonsensical for me to go ahead and rank the earliest lunch just below, but first lunch has its own issues. For starters, first lunch is a nightmare for the digestive system of the typical student. Many adolescents tend to wake up later on the weekends and over the summer, and would not be caught dead eating lunch at such a promptly early time. As for those who actually wake up early like me, we would likely eat breakfast at 9 the latest, and therefore would not eat lunch within such a short timespan. The night owls are eating one giant lunch at two, the early birds are eating their lunches much after eleven, and only the crazies are eating lunch at such a random time. 

Moreover, first lunch does not provide the necessary break I described prior. Going to first lunch is like going out for drinks with your friends when you have a massive paper due at midnight after a long day of work (stick with me on this, pretend you’re doing your MBA and are well above 21). Sure, the gathering is a fantastic way to blow off steam after your manager yelled at you, but it doesn't change the fact that you have to write your paper in a few hours. You’ll arrive at your apartment around 10, giving you time to write your paper, but you struggle to focus. However, you can’t take time away from your paper as you estimate the paper will take you exactly two hours, which means you won’t be able to catch a break. Likewise, first lunch only provides instant gratification. While you can enjoy a well-deserved break, you cannot fully enjoy it as you are taking it before you even begin what feels like the longest period of the day. Because the block is at the start of third period, it still means that you must sit through eighty minutes of learning, just less hungry.

Second Lunch (11:32-11:57)

Second lunch is no ugly duckling, but it’s not very special either. I have so little to say about it that I’m not sure why I even included it in the rankings. In comparison to first and fourth lunch, second lunch does not require students to focus for eighty minutes, which includes a break inside of third block. Students can attend third block for a short twenty-two minutes before heading to lunch, which allows them to sit through class without a grumbling stomach but also prevents them from screwing up their digestive system. Yet second lunch just doesn’t have that triumphant, exciting ring to it. Maybe it’s the fact that it still starts before noon, or the fact that it places the longer part of third block after the shorter part of third block. 

I apologize that my explanation for second lunch is far from exceptional, but so is second lunch. In fact, you should be grateful that there is any explanation at all for such an ordinary lunch.

Third Lunch (12:02-12:24)

I could rave about third lunch until the cows come home. For starters, noon is literally the standard time for eating lunch. The twelfth hour marks the halfway point of the day, so it’s only logical that the second meal out of three standard meals should be eaten mid-day. Your digestive system will also thank you. Noon is adequately late so that it lines up with when students would actually eat lunch outside of school, but it is not so late that they look around sheepishly as their stomach audibly grumbles.

Like second lunch, third lunch provides a break between third block, but it simply fulfills its role better than second lunch could dare to dream. While I agree that taking a break is optimal for focus and absorbing new material, breaks are superior when they can truly be enjoyed. I don’t know about you, but I cannot happily enjoy my lunch break knowing that I have plenty of work to do when I leave for class in just over twenty minutes. Third lunch is perfect timing, ensuring that students do not have to wait a full eighty minutes until they eat lunch, but are also nearly done with third block after eating. Let’s be honest, that final twenty minutes of the block is the least productive and arguably the least necessary. 

However you feel about the various lunch timings offered by Natick High, each of them have their own unique perks. One day, you may even find yourself as lucky as I am and have third priv, allowing you to reap the benefits of every single lunch.