Should Hammond go back to the original line?

Let me take you back to the beginning of the year, or maybe I’ll take you back to last year. Do you know what the difference is between 2007 and 2008? It has something to do with the cafeteria. Can you guess, if you can’t then I’ll tell you. The difference is that in 2007, everyone was standing up in the lines, now in 2008; we are sitting down while in the lunch line.
I believe that changing the line takes too long for students to get their lunch. When lunch is nearly over, there are still boys and girls in the lunch line. From http://www.gallupindependent.com/, Bill Donovan wrote that in Gallup high school, sometimes students have to stand in line for more than half of their lunch period (which is only 30 minutes), just to get their food. My survey results said that half of the students said that there hungry during AR or fifth mod almost every day! Also, for seventh graders, we have the last lunch of the day so if your at the end of the line, you might not get what their serving or what you want to eat. My survey results said that one out of four students said that it usually takes them 15 minutes or more to get their lunch.
Occasionally, I pack my lunch to school. My friends and I like to sit in the front table, but can we do that, no we can’t. We can’t go to the front table because students are sitting there to get their lunch. So, we have to sit at another table until the first table “clears up”. Not only that, the students who pack their lunch or get their lunch early are crowded in tables because the rest of the tables are being used up. Plus, the girls get the bigger side of the cafeteria when there are more boys than girls!
When people are trying to cut in the line, it usually means violence. In the original line, to cut in front of someone, they had to go in front of someone and that’s it. Although in this line, to cut someone had to take your seat by sharing a seat with you. Since there needs to be only 6 in one row for the row to move up or get in the lunch line, they need to kick someone out of the row and the “cutter” will most likely tell or push the other student off the chair. This is one of the reasons this new line was no improvement from the other line. My survey results said that three out of four students said that someone has cut in front of them in the line before.
The other line worked better than this one because when they are standing, the students who pack their lunch or get their lunch early can sit down wherever they want. Since they can sit down wherever they want, that will reduce the amount of students standing up and walking around. So wouldn’t you like to go back to the original line? Take a trip down memory lane and relive 2007’s cafeteria. If you do great, then you agree with me, the line should be decided by the students, because after all, we have something to say too.

You Deserve Healthier Food

It is time for lunch. You put your books away and always try to race to be first in line. You finally get your lunch and eat it. Some kids would just eat it but others may want to know what exactly they are eating. Well, the kids who realize what they are eating know that what they are eating is not good. Most food Hammond serves is most of the time greasy and uncooked. There are barely any vegetables. Hammond should improve the school lunch by making it healthier than it is right now. There is more greasy food than vegetables that are served which make kids obese and unhealthy. Hammond should improve the school lunch.

One reason why Hammond should make the school lunch healthier is because the food seems raw or uncooked. Uncooked food has more nutrients because when it’s cooked, those nutrients are taken away. That may be a good reason to eat raw and uncooked food but when it is not cook, there still may be parasites and other bacteria on the food which may make kids sick. A live food subscriber stated “Raw meat is not good because the raw meat that is uncooked may come from a place where the animal has eaten food that has been exposed to toxins and pollution”. If food is raw or uncooked, it will effect the education of kids that go to Hammond for an education. If food is uncooked or raw, kids will feel weaker, ill, and possibly hungry because they didn’t consume cooked food and they will feel ill because their body may not be use to uncooked food. Some kids even choose not to eat the food because it doesn’t look good enough to eat. Out of 56 students, who took a survey about how often they chose not to eat the food because it doesn’t look good enough to eat, 48 students said almost always or sometimes doesn’t look good enough to eat. That is 85% of all 56 students who took the survey. The people who choose and provide the school lunch should make the food cooked and do not serve anything that is raw or has not been fully cooked.

Food can make kids stomach hurt or have a stomachache. That can be caused by food that is not cooked, not fully defrosted, or even if the person serving the food does not have a hairnet and gloves. This has a big impact on the education of kids who are having classes after lunch. The Nemours Foundation has stated that “Kids get stomachaches because they may have ate too much, eaten something spicy, something too greasy, or something they are allergic to.” Well, the lunch served at Hammond is greasy and kids may not pay attention and just eat anything they want and as much as they want. That is what has caused stomachaches of many children. 56 students at Hammond took a survey with a question about how the greasiness has ever upset their stomachs and more than half of them said that yes, it did upset their stomach. Having a stomach-ache in class is distracting and will not let kids learn properly. Having a stomachache will cause the person who has it, worry about it so much that they do not really pay attention to what is being taught. If you have a stomachache, it is not like you can just ignore it and not feel it. It will bother you and will not be good. The lunch should be improved to something healthier and less greasy. Also to help kids know what they are eating, Hammond should label the lunch and say what is it and what it contains as some kids may be allergic to it and others may not be allowed to eat food such as meat.

Food can have others effects to the human body. Greasy food can make kids more obese and unhealthy. Hammond serves this greasy food and it should be stopped because kids are going to soon become more obese and unhealthy. Greasy food is a leading cause to obesity. Director of the obesity program of Children’s Hospital Boston, Dr. David Ludwig, researched the effect of greasy food in America. It stated that everyday, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4-19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six extra pounds per child per year and increase the rate of obesity. A study of 6,212 youngsters was found obese due to greasy food from fast food places. Greasy food is the cause of this obesity problem. A 56 student survey about how French fries are served more then vegetables was taken to show how much more greasy food is served more than vegetables. Out of the 56 students, almost half of them said that the French fries are served almost always more often than vegetables and 32% chose yes, usually. Also, Almost half of the 56 students who took the survey said that for a typical week, they never chose vegetables to eat. Their choices made can soon make them obese. The problem of greasy food at Hammond causes kids to become obese and can limit what they learn. They may not be able to do what other kids can. Obesity can affect a child’s education. Hammond should serve less greasy food and more vegetables.

In conclusion, Hammond should start serving healthier food than this greasy food. Greasy food has many effects on a child’s education and the reason they are at Hammond is for an education. We want children to have the best education and for it not be bothered or taken away just due to greasy food. Healthier food will have good impacts on a child’s education and will make them learn better. Healthier food should be served and these greasy foods should be lessened or even taken away. The food at Hammond should be improved to something healthier and have good benefits for a child’s education.

Cafeteria Room

Cafeteria Room


Students are ravenous. Seventh grade students at F.C. Hammond wait in a long line to get their food at 1:06 PM, after the 6th and 8th graders. Some kids don’t even eat breakfast! The school needs to combine the two cafeterias and add another part, where the parking lot is. This way, Hammond will have shorter lunch lines, more time to eat, and earlier lunch periods.

With a larger cafeteria, there will be more room to expand the foodservice area. Students who eat school lunch won’t have to wait in a long line. With shorter lines, students can have more time to eat and socialize with their friends, the only time they have to do so. Sometimes students can wait for more than half of their lunch period just to get food, according to Gallup High School. Fifty-one seventh graders at Hammond that took the survey wait between 10-14 minutes in the cafeteria lunch line. By the time students sit down to eat, lunch is almost over.

The average time for students to consume lunch is between 7 and 10 minutes, according to The Journal of Child Nutrition and Management. Consider also the amount of time for socializing, service, and clean-up activities. School foodservice directors can use the information from these time studies to advocate for reasonable lunch schedules that allow students at least 20 minutes to eat after they arrive at the table with their food, says The Journal of Child Nutrition and Management. Mentioned previously, the majority of the students that took the poll said that they wait between 10-14 minutes in line. The minimum of 20 minutes and 10 minutes isn’t enough time. Coming in second, 12 people said it takes them 15 minutes or more to wait in line to get their lunch, which is at least half the lunch period.

Some kids eat as early as 9:00 AM, since they may not get time to eat until 3:00 PM. Several high schools, such as Buffalo Grove, Prospect, and John Hersey, eat at 10:20 AM. Other schools may start lunch at 8 AM, when people may eat breakfast and end lunch by noon. But, lunch for 7th graders at Francis C. Hammond Middle School ends at 1:36 PM.


Making a larger cafeteria is beneficial. The students won’t be as hungry and will have more time to socialize and eat. Space will never be an issue. There will be no pushing, shoving, and cutting in line. Shouldn’t you be satisfied with more than less?

DO YOU think Hammond should have sports????

Do you think that Hammond should have middle school sports? I do! I
think Hammond should have sports because students would have some where to
go to after school, they say 'learn respect and discipline instead, and it would get us ready for high school sports.

With middle school sports kids can go to the practice or go to the
game then go home and have nothing to do instead of doind drugs. Going to practice, the kids
would have something to do and have someone to supervise them. When
kids are unoccupied they are doing bad stuff like stealing, fighting,
and doing drugs. Twenty-seven percent of the male athletes admit
stealing from a store in the past 12 months compared with 32 percent
of the boys not involved in sports. Female athletes measured the same:
twenty percent of them involved in theft compared to twenty-three
percent for all high school girls. I found my research Josephson Institute center for sports ethnic. Fighting is a bad use of what our parents gave students. Stealing and doing drugs isn't going to get you anywhere in live. Drugs can really hurt our bodies. When you are at practice you are not hurting your bodies. You are just making yourself a better person.

When kids play sports they will begin to respect their coaches more.
When they respect the coaches more, the more they will listen and the
more they will learn. The vast majority of high school athletes say
their coaches "consistently set a good example of ethics and
character" (90%) and that their current coach "wants them to do the
ethically right thing, no matter what the cost" (91%). I found this research at Josephson Institute center for sports ethnic. It respect is important because if you disrespect someone important you could go to jail. So having a life is good so respect people because you never know what is going to happen.

The last thing about having middle school sports is that we get ready
for high school sports. I think that playing middle school sports
improves are chances of winning in high school because we have been
practicing before just starting then and there. The more you practice the better you are. If you practice more the more you play in the games. The better you are more college scouts are at your game. The more college scouts there are the better chance you will get into the best college at you sport or the best college. If you go to a good college you will have a good profession. When you have a good profession the pay is better. The higher the pay, the more money to spend on you and your family. And everybody likes money.

Having middle school sports would be a big opportunity for Hammond to
show how good of a school it is and how athletic we are. Hammond should have sports and that is final. I have information from 59 students that say Hammond should have sports. 50 of the 59 of hammond students on team 7-2 say Hammond should have sports. To me that sounds pretty good and convining.

Free Time in Middle School

Have you ever been in school and thought you needed a break? I decided to do some research to see how many middle school students in the 7th grade think they deserve a break in their 7 hour school day. Every middle school student in the 7th grade deserves at least a 20-minute break in the school day because we work 7 hours straight in our day and our only break is lunch time which is only 30 minutes. A break would give students time to socialize, take naps, exercise, let their food digest, and have time to do school work.

Most people that were former students or teachers, thought that their students fell asleep in class, had stomach problems from lunch, or were overweight. Most people think that students need a break because “many students in middle school need some fun time in their school day instead of working constantly,” says Amy Horn, a 7th grade teacher in Illinois. Students tend to slack off in class and always have excuses for not doing class work, according to Ms. Horn. If we have a break in the school day, then students.

Students in middle school do school work for 7 hours. That is one reason why students sometimes fall asleep and or are sleepy in class. Maybe “students don’t get enough rest at home but most students have at least 8 hours of sleep before the school day,” Zaw W. Htwe, MD, of Norwalk Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center in Norwalk, Connecticut. If we have at least a 20 or 30 minute break, then students can have that time to take small naps and recharge for the rest of the day.

For middle school students in the 7th grade, our only free time is lunch, which is only 30 minutes long. “Most of us have to rush and eat our food quick to have time to talk to our friends. That is one reason why students have stomachaches.” (Cristel Brown- Sophomore at La Sema High) We especially can get stomachaches if we eat and then go to gym class so we should have a break to prevent that.

“Kids in the 7th grade barely have any physical exercise. Most students exercise more than 1 hour besides being in P.E. class in one week but that is not enough.” (Dawn Podulka from Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise) The other half only exercise 15-30 minutes in one week. If we have a break, then students will have more time to catch up on their physical strengthening activities.

When all research was completed, the thought of having a school break sounded like a great idea. A 20-minute break would make a big difference in the school day. Students will be happy and so will the teachers. Kids will have more exercise, time to do school work, and will have fun at the same time. That is why middle school students deserve a break.

Hammond Needs Another Cafeteria

We leave class on our way to lunch. We sit with our friends and talk. We have more than fifteen minutes to eat. That’s what we wish could happen. Our school needs another cafeteria. There are plenty of reasons why our school needs another cafeteria. The seventh grade students are eating too late, students don’t have enough time to eat, and the cafeteria is too small.


Hammond’s bell schedule has it so that seventh graders are eating lunch last at one o’ six. If we had another cafeteria seventh and eighth graders would be able to eat lunch together and the seventh graders would be eating lunch earlier. At other high schools such as Millennium High School the earliest lunch starts at ten thirty-five and ends at eleven o’ eight. There latest lunch starts at twelve-twelve and ends at twelve forty-five. As you can see none of there lunch periods go past one o’clock. More than half of Hammonds seventh grade students say that they are hungry in fifth mod and A.R. according to a survey of 7-2 students. Having a full stomach will help students learning as well. If students are hungry during their classes they will not be as attentive as they would be if they aren’t hungry. If Hammond changed the bell schedule around a little bit we could eat at eleven twenty-five. That would be thirty-six minutes earlier than we eat now. This would help reduce the amount of hunger during fifth mod and A.R.


When students are eating they may sometimes feel rushed while eating. This is because our lines are to long. If we had another cafeteria we could spread people out more so people would be able to get there food a lot faster than what they are getting it now. At one school in Gallup, New Mexico students are spending more than half of their lunch in line waiting for food. According to Bill Donovan, a staff writer for Independent, students are waiting so long because there cafeteria is over crowded, much like ours.


Students who are having to wait more than half our lunch period in line are feeling rushed while eating. One out of four students has to wait fifteen or more minutes in line. This is why students feel rushed while eating. Dr. Paul McKenna host of a show I can make you thin says that when you are full stop eating. But students at our school won’t know when they’re full because they are eating too fast. This causes students to gain weight. So if we have another cafeteria student will have enough time to eat and be able to know when they are full.


It is clear that Hammond needs another cafeteria. Things could be a lot better if we change our bell schedule. We are on our way to lunch lets hope we get more time to eat.

We Deserve Healthier Food

Hammond should improve the school lunch and make it healthier. It should be better tasting, cleaner, and also good for the students of Hammond. The lunch isn’t tasty but more importantly it isn’t healthy. There are many ways that the food is so disappointing to health of the kids that attend Hammond Middle School.

One thing is that there are barely any vegetables in the school menu through out the week. Fries are seen more than vegetables: in a survey 45% of kids on 7-2 said that they are almost always served vegetables more than fries. According to my survey results about half of the kids on 7-2 said that they choose vegetables 0 times a week. There are barely any choices anyway! And research says that kids must eat all kinds of vegetables to get all types of vitamins and avoid horrible diseases vegetables are clearly important for kids health. We should have vegetables to up hold the healthiness of all the kids that eat the food. And that matters because health is a very important issue. You have to keep yourself nice and healthy to have a good life and do good in school.

Another thing is that the food is too greasy. 86% of the kids on 7-2 said they either almost always or sometimes didn’t eat the food just because it doesn’t look good enough to eat. Potato chips contain lots of salt and fat. That would clog up your blood flow. Cookies contain too much sugar and not enough vitamins and minerals. Also eating to many calories is a major contribution to obesity

and heart disease. According to the CDC ( Central Disease Control and Prevention) obesity in children has tripled in the last 30 years. We should improve that bye making the lunch better cooked and adding more healthy foods and types of vegetables with rice or anything like that. Its not that Hammond can’t improve it is that it seems Hammond doesn’t try to improve.

Lastly, most kids don’t feel well after eating. More than half of the kids on 7-2 said that their stomachs feel upset after eating the food in the cafeteria. Junk foods do not have nutrients that help the human body infact they fight against it. They are filled with harmful fats, cholesterol, and so on. This is what slows down and weakens the body, it also gives a feeling of laziness. On the other hand healthy foods give you good energy to burn and keep you going. Also when you eat healthy foods you take out nutrients from it and gain a stronger internal body system. That is because it holds up your vessels and keeps you going.

That is the opinion of the school lunch served at Hammond. I don’t know about you guys but I want to eat healthy food. The current food might taste good, but don’t forget what is going into your mouth and how unhealthy it is.