Okay: For all North Atlanta students, here’s one thing good about remote education. Gone are the days of rushed five-minute-long gulping down of a lunch in the crowded school cafeteria. All that pressure has been replaced with a veritable lunch marathon. For a leisurely 40-minute long stretch, Dubs are now dining like champs. 

Here’s the by-now established drill. You log off from a second period Zoom call and, then, the clock starts ticking. While it is not enough time to play a round of golf or overly ambitious outside-the-house expeditions (no road trips to Lake Burton, for example) some upperclassmen are finding they now have the time to go out and grab a bite to eat. Incoming freshmen are rightfully confused about all of high school, and spend their time freaking out about what this year will entail. Everything about this year is different and lunch is no exception.

One bonus that can be found in the online circumstances this year, is that students can now ‘leave campus’ for lunch. If drivers can leave and make it back to class on time they can do whatever they like for lunch. Many upperclassmen take this liberty to get Chick-Fil-A drive-thru and bring it back to eat during third period Zoom class. “When I would eat chicken nuggets for lunch at ‘real’ school, they would always be cold,” said senior Gigi Olmstead. “Now I can get them at lunch and eat fresh.”

Meanwhile not everyone lives that lifestyle. Many Warriors have decided to take up cooking and making meals of their own with this extra time. There is nothing that hasn’t been tried. Senior Ned Coleman said he grills up lunch every day then sits down to watch football film. “I’ve perfected the grill, so I might try something new now,” he said. “But between grilling and football, there is nothing I would rather do with my time.” 

Some students decide to forgo their designated lunch break and turn it into a nap time. Every high schooler’s favorite hobby is sleeping and with school starting so early compared to most people’s summer schedules there is a need to fill every spare moment with some Zs. Senior Zoe Mock is a natural early riser, but does not take sleep for granted. “Honestly I didn’t even know that was our lunch break,” she said. “I genuinely thought they were helping us adjust by giving us nap time like in preschool.” 

What students choose to do with their lunch time is entirely up to them, and in some cases it can be seen as a reflection of personality. As Warriors we like to focus on the bright side and after everything that has happened this summer we all need something to go our way. So, repeat after us: Here’s the new more chill routine: Eat, Sleep, and Zoom.