Skipped Lunches for Additional Classes: Numerous Students at Bronx Science Opt for Schoolwork Over Midday Nutrition
At Bronx Science, a renowned high school known for its extensive Advanced Placement (AP) classes and post-AP curriculum, students often find themselves juggling academic demands with personal needs. One such area of contention is lunchtime.
Principal Ms. Hoyle encourages all students to have lunch, but pressure from peers and parents to excel in college can sway some students in the opposite direction. As a result, 399 students choose to forgo their lunch period each day to take an extra class.
This decision, while driven by a desire for academic success, can have mixed impacts. Academically, students may benefit from the increased instructional time, potentially boosting their academic achievement. However, this comes at a cost. The lunch period is crucial for nutrition, social interaction, and overall well-being.
Eating a proper meal supports cognitive function and energy levels necessary for sustained academic performance. Skipping lunch may lead to reduced concentration and fatigue later in the day. Lunch breaks also offer essential peer interaction and social development, which are important for mental health and building supportive relationships. Breaks from academic work help reduce stress and support emotional regulation. Forgoing such breaks can increase stress and reduce students’ ability to cope with academic pressure.
While none of the search results directly studied Bronx Science students skipping lunch for extra classes, broader education research and school reports emphasize that well-being and social opportunities during school hours are crucial for holistic student success. Chronic absenteeism and skipped meals negatively affect engagement and achievement, indicating that balance is essential.
Alexandra Blee '25, a student at Bronx Science, is among those who forgo lunch. However, she never goes hungry, bringing a sandwich to her AP US history class 6th period. Administrators try to help students who forgo lunch, such as by allowing them to eat in class and providing opportunities to pick up food from the cafeteria.
Some students leave the Bronx Science campus to get lunch from food trucks, Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, pizzerias, or bodegas. The school's diverse offerings, including heavy-lift specialized classes like neuroscience, microbiology, forensics, and astronomy, as well as electives like race and gender, songwriting, green engineering, and graphic novel analysis, may attract these students who opt to forgo lunch.
Guidance counselors advise students to drop lunch only after careful consideration, recognising the potential academic benefits but also the importance of nutrition, social interaction, and overall well-being. The key, according to some students and teachers, is having a plan when forgoing lunch.
Schools aiming to optimize both academic and personal development should consider structuring schedules that preserve lunch breaks or integrate wellness supports if students opt for additional classes during this time. After all, a well-rounded student is a successful student.
[1] Education Week, "Study: Skipped Meals, Chronic Absenteeism Affect Student Achievement," 2019 [3] American Journal of Public Health, "The Impact of School Meals on Child Health and Academic Performance," 2017 [5] Journal of School Health, "Association of Skipping Breakfast and Lunch with Academic Performance and Behaviour Among Adolescents," 2016
- A student journalism piece could delve into the impact of skipping lunch for extra classes on personal growth, mental health, and learning at Bronx Science, drawing on research from Education Week, the American Journal of Public Health, and the Journal of School Health.
- Engaging in literature, such as articles from these journals, could provide insights for feature articles on the challenges and benefits of juggling academic demands with personal needs, particularly in relation to lunchtime practicesat schools like Bronx Science.
- In the realm of education-and-self-development and personal-growth, it would be relevant to discuss the implications of skipping lunch for nutritional needs, social interaction, and mental health in the context of student journalism.
- To gain a comprehensive understanding of the influence of skipped meals and chronic absenteeism on student achievement, one might explore literature covering topics such as learning and mental health within the field of history.
- For digital photography projects, capturing images of students during lunchtime and within educational settings can provide a visual narrative that highlights the importance of the lunch break and its impact on students' overall well-being and academic success.
