By: Matthew Du, Staff Writer

Have you ever felt rushed while you are eating? Well, that is the case for Mills High School students as they are rushing to brunch everyday to try to get their food early so they don’t get stuck behind the long lines during their 10-minute break. 

Brunch is a nice, free 10- minute period where students can take a break, eat, go to the bathroom, go to their lockers, prepare for their next classes, and hangout with friends. There are some students who argue that their brunch time isn’t long enough because of the lack of time to eat and it feels rushed.  

I believe that brunch should be longer for students for numerous reasons. Brunch is the most important meal and part of a student’s day. Brunch is crucial for students as they should have enough time to eat and go to the bathroom. If a student gets out of class late, they will have to wait in the back of a long line for their food, which ultimately doesn’t give them too much time to eat. By the time they get their food and eat, the bell rings and they have half-eaten food in their hands. The problem is that students aren’t allowed to eat in class so that food could end up in the trash can.

A few students and staff gave me their thoughts on this matter. 

Ethan Wong (9), expressed his frustration when asked about brunch and he said, “I wish they would give us a little more time. You really only have time to eat and head to class and you don’t have enough time to hang out…Sometimes I don’t even get enough time to finish my food!” Wong also added,  “After I get out of my classes, I have to get ready for my next few classes so I really only have 5 minutes left to eat and hang out with my friends.”  

Michael Kwan (9), commented, “It can help with your academics to some degree and gives you more energy throughout the day. When you’re hungry, you can’t focus. So when you eat brunch, it makes you full and helps you focus better. It can help you lock in. It helps you to pay attention in class.”

I asked Dean Christian for his thoughts on this situation. Dean Christian noted, “I am very supportive of students wanting a longer brunch. He also said, “If they want a longer brunch, there would have to be some kind of tradeoff. The tradeoff would have to be either they end the day later or end the school year in June instead of May.” 

I asked Assistant Principal Ding for his opinion. AP Ding specified,“I think students should get enough time to eat brunch, but the Bell schedule is created by the district and every school in the district has to follow their schedule. If we change the brunch time, that would extend the day. Their brunch time is 10 minutes long and 17 minutes if you count the passing period.” 

Nathan Lau (9), freshman who’s running for treasurer, protested, “I think brunch is too short and we should get an extra 5 minutes. Brunch is an important part of our day and it’s an important meal so we would want more time to fully digest our food.”