Many new changes have taken place in our school this year, creating lots of different perspectives and opinions on the new policies. One of these new changes is the freshmen lunch. The new policy has ensured that any student who is a part of the freshmen class here at Doherty will not be allowed off campus for lunch. This is a massive change compared to the free-roam campus that our school was last year.
According to students we interviewed, Doherty is known for many things, but one highlight that many people used to talk about was the ability for freshmen to go off campus, which most schools in Colorado Springs don’t allow. So, Doherty not having that policy made the school standout to some upcoming students. But now that the new policy has been changed, there have been lots of different opinions, including some heartburn, amongst the freshmen class, upperclassmen, and even teachers.
With the class of 2027 having to stay on campus, many students are affected. Doherty does not have a relatively large cafeteria, which is where most students spend their time during lunch. With the extra number of people in the room, it is bound to cause some overcrowding.
With the cafeteria being crowded, it is hard to navigate during lunch, which affects lots of things like the length of lunch lines, the time it takes to walk throughout the cafeteria, and the mass volume of students that just creates traffic jams. For some, the lunchroom is just too busy, but some Spartans seem to not mind the new policy.
Most positive reactions to the new policy come from upperclassmen, sophomores and a few teachers. Junior Jason Ross said, “I like it and don’t see anything wrong with the policy.” Another interesting take on the policy comes from teacher Ms. Martin, who said I think it’s a great idea, because there are a lot of students that go off campus, and a lot of fights have happened. There’s been some violence off campus. I think also giving upperclassmen a little bit more privileges is something that you earn, the older that you get and your time at a school. And I think there is something about earning privileges that is important as well. — Ms. Martin
But of course, with all the positive outlooks on the new policy, they are all overshadowed by the various complaints amongst the class of 2027. Freshmen Charizma Meeall stated, “It’s not fair to us not being able to leave and we should at least be able to have some type of fun activity to do.”
Freshmen Sophia Cutler said, “I don’t think it’s fair because the sophomores got in trouble last year and they should give us a chance to leave campus.” These two interviews had very similar undertones in the idea that the class of 2026 had a major influence on the decision of the new policy this year.
But it’s not just freshmen who have acknowledged the influence that the class of 2026 had on the policy, as sophomore Stevie Giron stated, “I feel that it’s not fair because that’s what they (freshmen) were looking forward to and I don’t know why we just started doing it since last year was okay.”
Even though there are many opinions and ideas about the new policy, most of the students at Doherty can agree on one thing, and that is the new policy has made the lunchroom cramped and crowded with many students expressing their opinions. Senior Laura Ekholm said, “I get why they put it in, but at the same time there is so many of us and it’s really crowded everywhere you go.”
Freshmen Rylan Gufarotti said, “I feel as if the people (Upperclassmen and Sophomores) that are allowed to go outside are not using that to their advantage, and they’re taking up space in a way, inside where the freshmen have to be, and it gets even more crowded than it needs to be.”
What are your thoughts on the new policy? You can leave a comment or take our poll to see where people stand.
