Time for a food break
April 20, 2018
By HANNAH SIEGEL
The Mirror reporter
When it comes to lunch at Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) students are offered a wide range of foods. Every day the food services staff provides students with a variety of freshly made food items.
Students have many options when it comes to lunch. They may select the main meal which can range from an Italian pasta bar to chicken popcorn and mashed potatoes. The deli station is another option for students. Here students are able to create a sandwich or wrap with a variety of meats and veggies. Thirdly, there is a grab and go option available with hot and ready foods like burgers, fries and chicken patty sandwiches. Taco/nacho bar, yogurt bar and salad bar are just a few more options for SPASH students during lunch, however, there is another option.
‘A la carte, this is a very popular food stop for students. It is open from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for all students and staff. According to Lori Epstein, food service manager, so many students utilize the ‘a la carte room throughout the day, that it is difficult to say how many students use it.
‘A la carte offers a wide range of food items. They include pizza, soup, ready to go salads and sandwiches. Nachos, chips, cookies, ice creams, drinks, fruits and veggies are a few other options for students.
“I think at high school age students should be able to choose what they want to eat… I think you need to learn what’s good and bad for your body and high school is a good time to learn that. Students should be in control of what they eat and purchase,” stated Brenda Varga, food service cashier.
With such a wide variety of food, there are many favorites among the students. “I love the nachos,” junior Caitlin Miller said. “Personally my favorite thing in ‘a la carte is the Italian dessert and the drinks, there’s such a variety and I love the options,” senior Andromeda Brown stated. However, it can be seen throughout that Varga’s cookies are by far the student body favorite.
“Brenda’s cookies are my all-time favorite cookies. They are so good, I could eat them all day,” junior Kendra Lila said.
“I spend half of my lunch account money on cookies. They’re so soft in the middle and addictive,” junior Rachel Sunu said.
“The cookies are my favorite thing in ‘a la carte. They’re a quick and easy snack but also delicious,” sophomore Greta Turner-Zick said.
“My favorite food in ‘a la carte has to be Brenda’s cookies. They’re bomb! Honestly, the best cookies ever,” junior Ariana Sotelo said.
Varga’s cookies weren’t always an option for students though. Over the years SPASH has changed a lot and the food has changed over time too.
Before SPASH offered many selections the lunch line consisted of only two lines and each line served the same meal. “Students had to wait in a long line to get their meal,” stated Epstein. “I love the changes, they weren’t changes for me because when I came to SPASH they were already available, but I’m glad they were made. I can’t imagine having to stand in line for 10 plus minutes to get my food. I love having the option to get food in between classes and during off-hours too,” senior Bryanna Windsor said.
SPASH food service plans to make improvements as the years go on. They must follow USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) guidelines, however, they will continue to serve student favorites and serve health choices.
Manuel Lupercio • Apr 24, 2018 at 12:33 PM
I for one have always hated most school food. Ala carte is a great option as they have some raelly good soup and also have parfaits. Ala carte gives you the option to still grab something to eat instead of nothing if you didnt like what was being served during lunch. I personally dont eat lunch but when i do ala carte is where i head everytime
Dylan Konicek • Apr 23, 2018 at 12:53 PM
I really enjoyed reading this, I love all of the options A La Carte gives us, it allows us to get a quick snack and go if students are in a hurry
Kacey Koch • Apr 23, 2018 at 12:45 PM
It’s true! We have so many options here! It was great to hear a quote from Brenda!
Will • Apr 23, 2018 at 12:32 PM
I enjoyed this article, but I felt that the quotes are a little too bunched together. Aside from that, great job though
Hannah Gibbons • Apr 23, 2018 at 9:47 AM
I really enjoyed reading this piece, and I think it was a good topic to cover. I also laughed at all the quotes whenever they mentioned Brenda’s cookies, because it is a school hit. ‘A la carte is such an important piece to this school, I couldn’t imagine SPASH without it.
Alyssa Schroeckenthaler • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:49 PM
Nicely written article! I honestly don’t know what I’d do without ‘A la carte. It has saved me many times, especially when I forget to bring a water bottle to school.
Alina Burmistrova • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:35 PM
It is really useful article about variety of food at SPASH, especially for newbies. Also it is full of different opinions that make article “fresh”. Good job!
Merita Mehmedi • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:34 PM
I remember I had to wait a while for my lunch when I was in high school and it’s nice to see that changes like these are giving students a lot of options to choose from. It’s also interesting to hear that SPASH is striving to make improvements for students and trying to give healthier options.
Dylan Trigg • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:23 PM
I never knew that before there was only 2 lines and everybody got the same thing.
Tony Ludwig • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:21 PM
As someone who frequently benefits from the abundant food choices, I enjoyed reading this story. It’s nice to read about the future of the SPASH food service too.