For as long as many upperclassmen students can remember, a la carte has been a main staple at lunch at NHS. Last year, however, a la carte, as well as the healthy first line option at lunch were removed from the NHS menu. The primary reason for the removal of a la carte and the healthy lunch line was the implementation of the free lunch program throughout the country. 

Since the removal of the program, however, some students have argued for a la carte to be reinstated into the lunch program. While school lunches provide the main component to a student’s lunch, this additional aspect is what many looked forward to from their lunch period.

“I would like to see a la carte reinstated but I do understand why they can’t because of the free lunches right now,” senior Ben Friesen Guhr said.

Some students do understand why a la carte has not come back yet, though other students disagree and believe there was not a good reason for a la carte and the first line at lunch to be withheld.

“I am very disappointed that the first line is gone, I think it is good to have healthier options for lunch… I think it should be reinstated, because I think it just makes lunch better and there was no good reason to get rid of it in my eyes,” junior Drew Dillon said.

A la carte as well as the first line option have been gone for about a year and students have only had one food option during lunch in that time. While this did not affect many while USD 373 was in hybrid or remote modes of learning last year, completely in-person school this year has illuminated this change for the student body. Some students have taken to social media platforms to convey their frustration.

“I’m so mad about [the removal of the first line] because that was the only good food,” senior Ed-Joha Medina said. “You either get the really crappy lunch or you don’t eat.”

One solution to the lack of a first lunch line this year as well as a la carte would be to reinstate the Railer depot which has been out of commission for longer than the class of 2022, the senior class, has been in school. The Railer depot was a service that was open once a week on Thursdays and sold concessions that you would get at a sporting event.

“I think I would like to see [the depot] back just as another option and I think the school could make some money from that,” Dillon said.

If the Railer depot would be brought back, some students question whether Thursdays would be the best time for it to appear. Others think that having the depot open during passing periods or before/after school would be more of a convenient time.

“It would be good to have it throughout all lunches, or maybe in between or in the middle of the day, during passing period,” Dillon said.

However, if the Railer depot was open during the lunch period this would mean students would be able to get food during bathroom breaks at the same time as lunch is going on and therefore possibly contribute to missing class for longer periods of time.

“I would like it if Railer depot came back on Wednesdays during early release because if they brought it back during lunch it would just be like having a la carte,” Friesen Guhr said.