The Importance of School Lunches

By Jamye Grace Aquino Kamali’i

When I transitioned from public to private school in high school, I noticed how much more resources private school students were experiencing in their school cafeterias. At public school, our food was unappetizing the majority of the time, and I noticed that there were rarely healthy meals. While I attended public school, I was not aware that the meals were not an even balance of vegetables, fruit, meat, etc. I was disappointed that I became aware of these issues until I left.

When I entered private school for my high school years, I noticed distinct differences in the school lunches that students received. In fact, the focus of student health was a top priority within my school. Since my school was filled with students with Hawaiian ancestry, our institution had conducted research on the common health issues that we experience. When a major issue connected to cardiovascular health issues and diabetes was revealed, our private school offered healthy meals for all students.

This was able to happen because of enough funding for students and the school, and the schools’ efforts led to healthy living for students. When I realized my privilege at my new school, I felt that what my community back home experienced was unfair. Students back home were not getting the correct nutrients and did not have access to the research on big health issues that Hawaiians experience. In addition, a good school lunch allows students to have enough energy for class, which could allow them to participate in class and gain better understanding within the classroom. I believe that a healthy school lunch is extremely important. We need to fully fund our public schools for happy, healthy students.