Oregon-Davis High School has seen an increase in student participation in school lunches so far this year.
Superintendent Don Harman reported during Monday night’s Oregon-Davis school board meeting that 209 students at the high school level are partaking in the school offered lunches each day.
He says that’s a marked increase.
Typically, the gymnasium and library at the high school have been left open for students to socialize or study during their lunch period. That comes with a bit of a cost as some students were using their designated eating times exclusively for those purposes.
Hungry students, according to numerous studies, can lead to a lack of concentration during class, increased stress levels, and an increase in poor dietary choices later in the day.
To combat this, Oregon-Davis High School opted to close the library and the gymnasium for a brief time to encourage students to eat. That appears to have had the intended effect as about 85-percent of the student body is now participating.
Harman says he believes part of it is the quality of the lunches.
“They put a really good product on the plate so we’re proud of that,” says Harman.
The change is expected to continue now that the results have been reviewed.
