The high school experience is fresh and foreign for underclassmen in grades nine and ten. High school comes with new independence. This new independence contributes partially to students’ desire to leave campus for lunch. However, for underclassmen at Monarch, leaving campus during lunch hours is not an option.
“The food is so much better off-campus,” Linden Katz ‘27 said. “I feel like being able to leave campus would give me more time to spend with my friends.”
Though the rule prohibits most underclassmen from leaving campus, many disagree with the restriction. Some students choose to go off campus anyway just to get food and hang out with their friends.
“I go off campus to get fast food. Me and my friends like to get away from school for a little bit and just enjoy lunch outside of school,” Aspen Noble ‘26, a sophomore who occasionally drives off-campus during lunch, said.
For those who have the advantage of driving or having older friends, leaving school to get lunch provides quality time with friends and a temporary escape from everyday school life.