Best Places to Eat 2nd Lunch: Winter Edition

Raylen Satterwhite, Reporter and Web Design

As the rainy season advances and the wind starts to pick up, students seek more sheltered places to eat lunch. Second-lunch students eat in certain buildings. Such as the 300 building, 500 building, 200 building, and courtyard, which are all open for eating. This doesn’t include teachers’ classrooms. So, overall what are some cool places to eat lunch? To find out Union students were consulted in the search for the best spot to sit at. 

Sophomore student Evelyn, who does jazz band and musical theater, sits with her friends in classroom 327. The room is located upstairs in the 300 building and has a breathtaking view of a valley of exquisite pine trees with a glimpse of freshly laid snow. In the foreground, there are plenty of trees and a full view of the soccer field and parking lot. As she spoke, birds played in the background,  “Mr. Conely was my English teacher from last year and I really liked his class. I like the windows and spinny chairs.” The chairs all spin and have different heights. Evelyn continued, “With the light coming through the window, it’s a lot less depressing. Because, when I see the lights it makes me happy.” With the winter forecast, the shadows become more apparent. A rare aspect of this classroom is that the room maximizes natural light. Even the gloomy days are bright and light, setting a cozy and comfortable environment. 

Moving on downstairs to the bottom of the 300, a few individuals sat perched in high-standing chairs by a huge window. Emily and Eden, two junior students, talked about their lunch spots. Emily began, “Our class is right next door to here, so this seemed like a convenient place.” She went on, “It’s usually warm and not windy because it’s inside.” Eden agreed, 

“It’s also nice because there are a lot of windows. So there’s natural light and you can see what’s going on outside.” Their thoughts on the temperature of the building compared to others came with more information. Eden said, “In some buildings, it’s really cold.” Emily agreed, 

“It really is,” Eden stated, 

“That is not fun, especially during the winter.” The students around them talked and hurried by. The spot was nestled in a corner as students traveled past. The spot the students enjoyed was not busy, unlike the area around them.  

Virginia, a student who is in the orchestra and interacts in sports outside of school, was located outside the 300. Virginia stated, “I don’t really have a spot, I just bounce around where my friends sit.” Virginia also included, “Over by the gym in the undercover area, is a pretty good spot.”  Virginia concluded, “[We go] inside if we can find a spot but I prefer to eat outside because of Covid.” As the student body is rather large it is hard to get a seat at a popular spot. This brings attention to the next eating spot. The lunchroom.

A junior student named Grady, who is in the percussion section for Union High School, sat in the lunchroom. To be precise the lunchroom is located in the 500 building. As he spoke, students chatted while the social aspect of high school came to be in its full glory. He said, “I like to sit in the cafeteria ‘cause it’s not cold.” The 500 building has a library and is where the main office is located. Also, the subway and the normal offered school service are located in the 500. Subway and the normal school lunches provide choices of drinks as well. A few are lemon green tea, vitamin water, and body armor drinks. Also, there are several vending machines that serve food and drinks. 

Michael Mintz

Jennifer, a freshman at Union, enjoys eating in the 200 and 300 “I usually eat in the 300 or 200 because it’s open. Usually, if you get there early enough there’s somewhere to sit.” She went into detail about her spot, “Usually the [sitting areas I sit in] aren’t too loud.” As the interview took place in the 200 building the area was rather quiet and somewhat tranquil. The high tables were accompanied by tall bar chairs. Some students sat on the floor nestled by the three vending machines against a pale tofu-colored wall. The open glass doors cast natural light in windowed patterns on the floor.

Overall, students have different preferences. So here is the basic information gathered. The 200 and 300 have quiet spaces filled with plenty of natural light that might be better for students who want to take a calming break. Meanwhile, the 500 building is constantly bustling with energy for those looking to socialize. Hopefully, students enjoy the last of the rainy season before spring comes in full bloom.