Line cutting is a problem in our cafeteria

During lunch, the cafeteria at CVHS can become a monstrous and unruly jungle as teenagers run around trying to purchase and devour food while socializing, all before having to return to class.  This constant time crunch has led to an epidemic of line-cutting.

According to campus patroller Marcia Bergendahl, children who are more timid and relaxed are often victims to line cutting because the culprits use intimidation to keep them from complaining. Bergendahl feels it’s an issue that needs to be addressed since it occurs so frequently.

“It’s constant,” added Bergendahl.

Though Bergendahl has never seen line-cutting escalate into any other forms of bullying or physical harassment, she has seen how it aggravates a lot of the students.

“It’s annoying to see how rude kids can be to each other when they cut in the lunch line,” stated sophomore Katie Melkonians.

CVHS currently handles line-cutting fairly loosely. As of right now, most kids are given verbal warnings and aren’t written up for detentions or anything like that. However, repeat offenders are often referred to an assistant principal and sent through the typical discipline plan.

CVHS uses a lot of strategies to prevent line-cutting, such as hard glances from surrounding security and having Principal Blaine Torpey present during combined lunches to scare possible offenders.

The high school officials are considering a few ideas to help combat this problem. Torpey mentioned that they will make it harder to cut in line by rearranging the design of the cafeteria. They plan to arrange the furniture in a way that protects the sides of the lines, making it harder to slip in through the sides. They also plan to make lines narrower in order to make it easier for security and administration to see who is attempting to sneak into the line.

“One of the ways we can honor one another is by acknowledging each other and line-cutting doesn’t acknowledge people, otherwise we typically acknowledge people well here at CVHS,” commented Torpey.