School News

Food ‘n’ Snacks - The Difference from the Elementary Schools to the Intermediate School

by Angela Ruiz and Kennedy Nellins

In the cafeteria, the food at WIS is often compared to the food from the elementary schools, especially among the sixth graders. Some of the food items have stayed the same, but most of the food menu has changed drastically! Students have a whole new variety of food, as well as a new selection of beverages, such as Gatorade or Snapple. Less of the foods are frozen and reheated. They are more fresh foods and overall they have a more appetizing appearance and taste.

Now, we have the PB&J, Italian subs, turkey subs, a parfait yogurt meal, chicken Caesar salad, the chef salad, assorted sandwiches, assorted wraps, and assorted salads with protein! That sure is a mouthful! Thanks to these varied alternatives, students get the effect of feeling like they have more freedom and privileges within the school cafeteria. Also, students are finding it easier to get filled.

Many favorite menu options have been altered or changed, like the pizza. WIS has pepperoni pizza and buffalo pizza as well, as the everlasting, cheese pizza. The options of what you can get if you don’t want the lunch of the day have varied as well. Instead of the basic Caesar salad, PB&J, or frozen bagel. Now, we have an abundance of daily alternates. The monthly lunch menu is posted in the cafeteria and copies are available in the main office.

There is also a variety of dessert options such as cookies, churros, and ice cream. Special dessert options include donuts, waffles with ice cream and chocolate syrup, and waffles with whipped cream and sprinkles.

We surveyed over 120 WIS sixth graders about the lunch menu. The overall consensus was students preferred WIS food to their elementary school’s food. 92% of students rated the food at a 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5. The food wasn’t terrible or inedible for young children like us, it was simply that it doesn’t even compare to the food at the Intermediate School.

In response to the survey some students complemented the WIS cafeteria’s organization. An interesting suggestion was to make a smoothie booth. They pointed out that some kids didn’t like the fruit in the ones they already had or, some kids were allergic. They thought it would be interesting to choose the fruit for your smoothie. Another interesting suggestion was to announce the lunch for the next day in PM homeroom or on the PM announcements so kids can prepare for the next day. Thank you to everyone who completed the survey!