Did you ever think you would be delivering lunch to your teachers? You’re already racing against time to hand them papers and homework — let alone a lunch tray. Time becomes an issue for teachers at SHS as well because by the time they get to the cafeteria and back to their classroom there’s no time to eat. In some instances that means taking time out of classes to even grab one bite.

Mr. Wargo brought this problem to the attention of Mr. Maki’s Restaurant and Resort Management class in October, and they were eager to take on the project. Mr. Wargo asked the students if they could come up with a lunch delivery system for the staff and faculty at SHS.  Mr. Wargo said, “Project based learning is learning by doing…you grow skills and obtain knowledge.”

Mr. Maki emphasized the students played the main role in making this project a success. “We decided on problem areas that we would need to focus on and challenges we might have, then we broke into groups,” said junior Maddie Ryan.

One group was in charge of surveying the staff for interest in this lunch delivery program. Another group was dedicated to figuring out how teachers would order their lunch. There was a group that investigated how and where it would be delivered and another for how the teachers would pay. The final group considered whether or not the students would receive incentives for their class time delivering the lunches.

“That was the main part,” said junior Maddie Ryan, “because the students are giving up their class time to go help out the staff.”

The class worked for a month in their individual groups planning how the system would work in the building. The students then came back together as a class and made final adjustments. The class then created a presentation for Mr. Wargo in November, a month and a half after beginning the project. After Mr. Wargo added adjustments, the students presented the delivery system to the teachers during a faculty meeting. The faculty and staff were very receptive to the idea.

Using this system, the teachers will be able to order their food through a link on Aspen. They then fill out a Google form by the end of homeroom if they wish to have lunch delivered that day. The students in the class decided that Mr. Maki’s students would be the ones delivering the food during the first ten minutes of lunch block during that class. The reward for the students is still being decided, but the class has come up with ideas such as lunch credit and community service hours. Mr. Wargo commented that what the students accomplished is phenomenal.

The original plan is to start the delivery system following mid-term exams; however it has not yet been put into effect. Senior Rita Juliano said, “As of right now teachers can pay in advance with cash or check.” By the end of this school year and at the start of the next school year, the hope is to set up the accounts with credit cards so there’s no need to reload the accounts.