Everyday, like clockwork, students all around Coppell ISD are served lunch. At Coppell High School, this half hour turns out to be more a social hour or a time to catch up on unfinished projects instead of the time to fulfill the day’s nutritional values.

When it comes to school lunches, the world has plunged so far into the “school food is nasty” stereotype it seems like we are stuck there forever. Television shows and movies about school life always display an exaggeration of disgusting cafeteria food, and in return school lunches are looked down on by the kids of America. Students in Coppell schools seem to act no different.

The CISD lunch program offers a vast majority of options for meals, including those that are healthy, such as deli sandwich combinations, and less healthy items like pizza and Chick-fil-a. The school cafeteria feeds hundreds of mouths each day. Most students, myself included, do not even bother to explore the healthy choices, but just head toward the familiarity of pizza instead. This might be OK once in a while, but making the wrong decision every single time could affect us in the long run.

What most students do not know is that there are tasty, healthy foods as well. You just have to search for them. On the left wall of the school store, there are multiple sandwich and salad combinations offered deli styled at the low price of $3. This is a comparable price to the $3.50 it costs you to buy just two slices of pizza. If you don’t walk beyond the large commons to find your food, you would never know that these alternative options are available.

There is more to the school store than just candy and fancy water. There is not much that can be done by the nutrition department if they offer healthy foods, but the students do not buy them.

Last year, the CISD nutrition department hired a new chef, Helen Duran, who is focusing on creating healthier menus and creating food that students actually want to eat. So far, there have been many positive things said about her work. Students who buy their lunches should be aware that the quality of food served has improved, and it deserves to be given a new chance to break the school food stereotype.

The department is open to suggestions and is trying new things on the menu that appeal to different tastes. It is about time the nutrition department got some positive reinforcement. They are aware that cafeteria food is often bashed, and they would like students to try their new foods before they continue to judge them.

Although hundreds buy their lunch, many students claim that they don’t buy because they are dissatisfied with the pricing of the foods. The biggest complaints are that two slices of CiCi’s Pizza costs almost as much as the actual buffet at the restaurant, which is not untrue. However, there is a method to this madness.

The CISD Nutrition department is given $2.5 million in funding for all the Coppell schools. All of this is used to pay for things such as electricity, labor, and maintenance repairs for all 14 schools. Not to mention that in the past three years, the price of school food has gone up four percent.

Even though food is more expensive than it has been in the past, that doesn’t mean that it is ridiculously priced, especially considering the current economic situation.

Regarding the healthier foods, the prices aren’t all that bad, and they do taste good. They are just never purchased. Any deli sandwich at school is going to be way less expensive than one bought from a sandwich shop elsewhere, and is prepared fresh each morning. In a school lunch system, you can’t beat that.

Whether you always buy, or you are looking for something other than that daily sandwich your mom packs you, branch out and find your own opinion of school food. It is up to us to help break the stereotype. Don’t knock it till you try it, CHS.