As just about everyone on this campus knows, there are definitely not enough tables to seat the entire student body at lunch. A very large percentage of students are forced to sit and eat elsewhere. Just getting to a table before everybody else requires lots of luck, especially in class schedules, due to the massive hordes of people that it is basically impossible to get through on the way down the stairs. And then, if you by any chance manage to get a table, who’s to say that you will be able to keep it? If you are someone with a small friend group, then large numbers of students will be able to easily force you out of your spot with nothing but intimidation. For middle schoolers, it’s even worse, as most of the students are still older than you, and when you’re still new to the school, somebody who seems like they know what they are doing can be very intimidating. But who really has laid claim to most of the tables? Just what out of the way places do people sit? And is it really a bad thing not to get a table at lunch?
How difficult is it really to find a table at lunch though? I surveyed a number of students from all grade levels, and the results, in my opinion, were rather surprising. Only about 40% of everyone I surveyed ate at a table, everyone else seemed to sit in varied places around the campus. What was more surprising though, was the amount of students who had tried to find a table to sit at, yet came up short. This was about 65% of the students that responded. Most intriguing was the amount of people who were kicked off of tables. With a little over a third of the students that I surveyed saying that they had been, getting a table for lunch seems a lot more difficult. And while most who had gotten kicked off of a table were middle schoolers, it’s still a little absurd when one in every three people who have tried to get a table got ejected from their seat.
Where do the people not at tables sit? With over half of students not sitting at a table, it’s no surprise that a lot of people end up finding unique places to seat themselves and eat. Instead of at a table, you might find yourself sitting on a curb, or eating on a field of grass, rather than at one of the tables. Yet with all of the tables taken, lots of people still find common areas to hang out with friends during lunch. Most students who took the survey and didn’t sit at a table said that they sat at one of the benches around the quad, or on one of the tree planters around the quad. Still, classrooms, behind bungalows, and even the library are very viable eating spots. Plus, even if you don’t get a table this year, you’ll have an even better chance the next, especially since you’ll be a year and a grade level older.
All in all, it doesn’t really matter where you sit. While there aren’t enough tables for everyone, there is definitely enough space and unique spots for you and your friends to eat undisturbed. Just because where you eat isn’t with the rest of the school, you will probably still enjoy your spot just the same, if not more.