Langeland 1

Nathan Langeland

Ms. Schimmel

Senior Writing

10/5/20

The Open Question

Covenant Christian High School has not allowed open campus lunch. While they have several

reasons, they also are not aware of the benefits that outweigh the downsides.

For one, the safety concerns surrounding the idea of open campus can be minimized by only

allowing upper-classmen to participate. This already makes sense since almost all of these students can

drive, and the under-classmen have a very low number of drivers.

The stress relief and enjoyment that is provided is more valuable to the students who are

becoming adults. The ability to spend time with peers and converse is an important skill to learn for the

business world. The quick-release of stress during the middle of the day could be therapeutic for some

students. “I would definitely enjoy the last three classes if I was able to blow off steam during lunch,”

says Brett Gritters a student at CCHS. “I feel so stressed by the end of the day, I don’t enjoy my classes

anymore.” Given the general agreement of the other interviewees, there is a general consensus that an

open campus lunch would raise moral of students by a significant amount.

 Langeland 2
The benefits of open campus to upper-level students could be considered a more mature

approach, allowing students to enjoy school more because they will feel as they are being treated as

adults. “Sometimes I feel as if we’re being prepared for the world, but not respected in what we do. I’m

tired of the lack of variation in the way we eat lunch. It’s always the same thing everyday.” says Lucas

Heyboer another student from CCHS. When considering the alternative of having lunch in the same spot

with the same food every day. The opportunity of being able to change the location and add variety would

be beneficial to the mental health of students. Variety in the day can lead to individuals feeling more

engaged during the day according to research done by Cassie Mogilner a Marketing Professor at the

University of Pennsylvania. “ We found that people who did a bunch of different things over the course of

their day versus a bunch of similar things were happier at the end of their day.”

Not only would open campus lunch aid students by providing them some diversity in their

schedule, but also provide them with social skills that they would need for the ensuing future. Going out

to eat with co-workers or superiors is very common in the workplace. Being aware of how to act and

behave through experience would be beneficial. By restricting this needed form of stress relief, CCHS is

stunting how students can grow as people and be happier with their schoolwork by the end of the day.
 Langeland 3

Works Cited

Mar 25, 2015 Research Wharton Business Daily North America. “Does Variety Fuel Happiness at Work

and in Life? It Depends.” Knowledge@Wharton,

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/does-variety-fuel-happiness-at-work-and-in-life-it-

depends/.