With the 2023-2024 school year well underway, students have noticed Benilde-St. Margaret’s has closed down Taher throughout the day. Students and faculty have different feelings about the change despite it remaining open before school, during lunch, and during homeroom.
In past school years, Taher has been a place where students go throughout the day, not only at lunch. Last school year, teachers were not allowed to send students to Taher during class, so students went during the five minutes of passing time or their free period. This rule was implemented as some students were abusing their pass privileges, claiming to go to the bathroom when instead they were going to Taher. “We want to have a priority of kids in class… and we were finding a lot of students that were just leaving class and not being in class. That’s one reason. There are other schools that are like this, too,” Assistant Principal Matt Weingartz said.
Students feel that taking Taher away during the day when classes are in session removes their privilege of getting a snack or drink when needed. At BSM, three lunches range in time throughout the day for the senior high. While students in the first lunch might be okay to go without food until lunch, students in the last lunch of the day could need a snack to stay engaged in class until these later lunches. “I feel like it really affects me academically because I’m unable to focus in class. There’s no way I can bring food back because they don’t allow food in the hallways. So there’s no time for me to get food before [or] after my classes,” junior Lulu Rucinski said.
I feel like it really affects me academically because I’m unable to focus in class. There’s no way I can bring food back because they don’t allow food in the hallways. So there’s no time for me to get food before [or] after my classes.
— Lulu Rucinski
Taher’s closure affects not only the students who buy and eat food from the cafeteria but also the staff working there. During classes, when lunch is not in session, the team at Taher has much more time to prepare all the food for lunch. “We do have more free time to stock things like food and water without interruptions from the students throughout the day, but I know you students love to come and get food, which I get. We actually make more money when you guys used to come in all the time,” Taher staff Bailey Miller said.
Taher being closed has taken a toll not only on students’ health but also on their academics. Taher made more profits, and students were more academically and mentally engaged throughout the school day. Sitting in a classroom all day can take focus and strength; sometimes, students need food to fuel them. BSM teachers have noticed that students get fidgety during the day without access to food. Not all teachers allow students to get food during homeroom or sometimes there isn’t enough time. “Not eating gives me no energy, and I need energy to focus in class,” senior Natalie Best said.