Lexi Carmack | Reporter
Junior Colton Niehus exits the Homestyle Line, his tray occupied by Bosco Sticks and a water. It’s an average Thursday lunch at Avon High School.
Niehus, like many Avon students, buys his lunch almost every day of the week.
“I prefer buying lunch because it’s easier to not have a lunch box to carry around,” Niehus said.
Though the school offers a different variety of options each day, the menu restarts at the
beginning of the week. For some, this may be ideal, but for others, this can get repetitive. Junior Morgan Wittenauer agrees with the ladder.
“I know that the school is on a limited budget when creating our lunches, but I think we should have alternation menus each week,” Wittenauer said.
Wittenauer is also among the large group of students that buys their lunch nearly every day of the week, but she switches it up sometimes to go for the healthier option.
“I know when I pack my lunch I’m getting better nutritional content, but I don’t like having to take the time to pack my lunch,” Wittenauer said.
Other students, such as senior Kaitlyn Sinclair, would rather take the time to pack.
“I prefer packing my lunch because I am able to choose from a variety of options that the school doesn’t offer,” Sinclair said.
While Sinclair stays energized throughout the day, those who buy may face the opposite.
“I actually feel pretty drowsy after lunch, and not full. You can’t eat much of [school lunch] and get full,” Wittenauer said.
Niehus agrees. “I am energized pretty well, but not for very long.”
Still, a large number of students prefer to buy their lunch.
“When you pack food from home, you are able to know exactly what’s going into it,” Wittenauer said. “All in all I prefer packing, I just need to have motivation to do it more.”
Q&A With Avon Assistant Food Manager, Amber Smith
How do you think the school does at offering nutritional options?
“I think we offer a wide variety of nutritional options.”
What are those options?
“Every day we have four fruit choices. We also have hot vegetables, cupped up vegetables, and different salads every day. It’s more of a variety, so it’s not just pizza and french fries.”
How do you think the school does at offering options for all types of students, such as vegetarian students and students with allergies?
“A few years ago we had a separate vegetarian option on the menu, but we faded that out because we have brought in the protein meals, as well as the vegetarian salad option every Wednesday. If anyone has a specific allergy, we do accommodate them.”
How do students get the accommodations arranged for their food allergies?
“As long as your parents fill out the information at the beginning of the year with the nurse, they will contact us and let us know. If you let us know that you would like the school provide you with lunch, we would set it up that way.”
Do you feel students have a wide variety of options to choose from for lunch?
“Yes. We rotate menus because there are so many options. In the ALC, we have the International Line, and if you don’t like that, you can come to the Homestyle Line, and we have a third line, too. In the other cafeteria, there are three lines, plus the Eatery, which has even more options.”
If you’re curious about what Avon lunch food most closely resembles your personality, check out our quiz!
Graphics by Morgan Jones.
The Avon Echo 