BCCHS wants the best for its students, and one way they do this is by ensuring they get what they want and need: food. From the moment the bell rings for lunch, everyone rushes to the cafeteria to get food, but sometimes, the menu is disappointing and not appealing to students. Could the Student Meal Survey change the cafeteria menu?

After interviewing students, I collected data to preview the types of information the school would receive from these surveys. Out of the five students interviewed, three bought the school lunch. We gave students different menu options and told them to state which one seemed more appealing.

Isaac Herrera (10) explained, “The school should test their new foods and ask parents’ opinions and stay by the daily caloric intake.” Another student, Bryant Blanco (11) stated, “The information the school could receive from the survey is about what foods the students prefer.” Some of the popular food options are cheese/hamburgers with “smile fries” and spicy/regular chicken sandwiches with “smile fries.” Students also expressed that they would like to see foods such as rice crispy treats and granola bars. 

If students participate in the survey and input their feedback, the menu could drastically change, and BCCHS could benefit a lot from this data. The school could see what foods and menu options are most liked by students and which are most disliked. The school could use this information to remove the less popular menu options and replace them with new items. The school can also see the comfort foods and preferred foods of the students, which can help them to provide these foods more often.

Another benefit of the survey is that parents get a look into what nutrition the school is providing for students. Parents could input their opinions as well, therefore giving the school more feedback and providing more accurate results which everyone, including students, would be happy with. 

Students not participating in the survey would not help the school have this information. It would also lead to less accurate results if a majority of students do not complete the survey. It would also negatively impact students because instead of raising their chances of getting preferred foods, they are lowering them. 

Considering the number of people one sees at the cafeteria, the Student Meal Survey is worth completing, especially if a majority of students do it. Not only would it benefit students by allowing them to receive foods they prefer, but it would benefit the school as well, as there would be less food wasted, or thrown away. With enough students and feedback, the Student Meal Survey can change what is on the menu, which is why the next time you see one of these surveys, do it.