By Caroline Crawford

Norfolk Academy. Photo credit: @Norfolk_Academy via Instagram.

As a new student at Collegiate, I remember the first time I entered McFall Hall. It was bright and crowded, and my stomach was practically screaming with hunger. The line was so long it almost reached the lobby. I was overwhelmed. Before attending Collegiate, I attended Norfolk Academy, a grades 1-12, co-ed private school in Norfolk, Virginia. At Norfolk Academy, they embrace a family-style lunch system. 

At Collegiate, we have a salad bar and nutritious options for lunch every day. Collegiate students can choose to sit in McFall Hall, in the Academic Commons, or outside. For some students, having so many choices can be overwhelming. There are long lines to get food, and finding a group of friends to eat with can be a challenge. However, there is a way to enjoy lunch at school with shorter lines for food and better opportunities to grow as a community. 

Family-style dining is a way to enjoy a meal with those around you. In some restaurants, a large portion of food is brought to a table to share among ten people, strangers and friends alike. This is popular in the South, such as the famous Mrs. Wilkes’s Dining Room in Savannah, Georgia.

Norfolk Academy’s lunch system provides opportunities for students in every grade level to connect with faculty and students from across their division by having assigned seating. Every few weeks, students are assigned a new table to sit at for the duration of lunch. At each table are students from different grade levels and one faculty member. One person from each table is designated to grab a tray of food for the group, with enough for everyone to have a serving. If a student or teacher does not want to eat the provided food on a particular day, they can choose another option from the salad bar. 

Norfolk Academy student Lee Acra, class of 2024, said, “Every day, we either sit with our advisory groups or a randomized lunch table to encourage meeting new peers and teachers.” He also remarked that “An assigned lunch table is super cool, because you can eat a family-style meal with new people each semester.”

For most Collegiate students, this lunch system is foreign. Betsy Clarke (‘25) remarked that “Lunch is a break for a lot of students; they don’t have to worry about turning on a social battery.” In her opinion, lunch is a time for students to connect with friends or have a quiet moment during a busy school day. In response to the concept of family-style dining, Clarke said, “It forces you to go out of your comfort zone, and lunch is a time to relax. I don’t think students would like to go out of their comfort zone at lunch.”

Another problem that the Norfolk Academy lunch program addresses is the length of lines. Regarding McFall’s lunch lines, Collegiate student Justin Williams (‘25) said, “The lines get really long. If you have second lunch, sometimes the food just runs out.”

Norfolk Academy students enjoy their family-style lunch system. Norfolk junior Ruby Reis said, “I feel like I have bonded with Seniors and Sophomores and lots of teachers because of it.” 

My mom Mary Crawford, a former Norfolk Academy parent, reflected on her experience with the family-style lunch system. Crawford said, “I adored that my children met kids from other areas and walks of life. I found it very broadening.” 

As a student who has experienced both lunch systems, family-style dining at school was the best way for me to encounter new community members. There are challenges for such an extreme change in scheduling and the format of lunch, but the family-style dining model has the benefits of bringing together new groups of students and faculty members, as well as creating shorter lines and a more efficient way to provide lunch at school.

Featured image credit: pexels.com user fauxels.