The issue of seating has been a problem for a while. If it was an issue back when lunches were split, then it is definitely an issue now that the entire student body is out at one time. For almost the whole hour, every lunch table is occupied – this includes the tables down by the cafe, the seats in the commons and at the end of the 200 hallway.

In order to try to remedy this problem, the school has since added some lunch tables in the staircases for those who choose to eat there. This was a step in the right direction but unfortunately still leaves many students without seating. Freshman Meghan Lynch, who now sits in the cafeteria, had been sitting in the hallways at the beginning of the year. She says that sitting in the hallways is awkward.

“You feel like you are just kinda there. Not uncomfortable, but out of place, you know,” Lynch added. 

There are some who choose to sit along the halls, they prefer this to lunch tables for many reasons; One of which being the ability to sit with many people at once and not be constricted by the limited seating at the average lunch table.

Freshman Micki Morris agrees with this, saying, “It would be nice to have a table, but then we couldn’t sit in a group like we do because our group’s so big.”

Morris sits with her friends in the 500 hallway and has since the beginning of the year. They prefer this seating arrangement to the lunch tables because it allows them to move around and talk to everyone and not just the person sitting next to/across from them.

Some students have suggested different ways to try to make seating better here at Liberty. One of these people was sophomore Katarzyna Talarski.

She suggests, “Instead of connecting long oval tables they could perhaps get smaller tables so smaller groups have more places to sit.”

Talarski brings up the idea of offering more seating options. “Like stools or maybe little mats for kids to sit on in the hallways,” she states.

Although some students prefer to sit in the hallways, many wish they had a table to eat at during lunch with their friends. Many people find it awkward, uncomfortable or gross to sit on the floor to eat their food. The lack of seating options is not something that we can move past forever, especially with the larger class numbers in the coming years.