By Emma Dalton
and Nikki Thomas, staff writers
Complaints echo through the lunch room the first day of school. It’s not hard to miss the dra- matic changes made once again to the school lunch program. The regular Lay’s chips and Chee- tos have now been replaced by popped and baked chips, and the sugary goodness from The Hawk Shop has been obliterated.
These changes have been slowly progressing for the last
four years and this year is the final push.
However, according to Principal Maria Kotz, the buzz of complaints from losing the junk food has almost diminished, as new federal nutrition re- quirements are becoming the norm.
Some of the new rules introduced include diet sodas being removed from the vending machines and replaced with 100 percent fruit juice, flavored water, and sparkling water. The new guideline states that any drink must be 60 calories or less per 12 ounces. Snacks must be less than or equal to 200 calories. Entree items must be less than or equal to 350 calories.
“Food portions have gotten extremely small,” pointed out senior Robin Kim. “We are spending more money to get the same portion of food we are used to being served.”
No one was hit as hard with the effects of the changes as many student clubs and organizations. Some of the largest fundraisers for the music pro- gram have been crushed by the new guidelines. Many kids sold candy boxes year round to help fundraise for their trips later in the year. Now these new guidelines prohibit selling candy on school property during school hours. Although they can- not do it regularly, the guidelines do allow each organization to have one fundraiser per semester that does not follow the strict caloric and health regulations.
Kotz said the changes, required under federal law, are here to stay.
“Our school is a part of the National School Lunch Program, and the changes are all require- ments about being in the lunch program,” she said. “The hope is that the nation gets healthier.”
Kotz hopes to one day make the healthy lunch more appealing to student tastebuds, and although it may not be there quite yet, the program and stu- dents are on the road to a healthier and happier high school experience, school officials say.