The room is dark and moody. The walls are painted blue and white. The air is hot and humid. The smell surrounding the room is acrid. The room is a small microscopic corner. The room is the iSchool cafeteria.

The iSchool students gather in the confined space eating their lunch. Some eat on the floor while an average of 25 students share one small table. It’s crowded and uncomfortable, but it’s the only space they have. They need to eat their food; therefore, they cannot object. However, I will.

The iSchool is a small school comprised of approximately 460 students. The iSchool is located on the two top floors of the building shared with Chelsea Technical High School. The two schools share sports teams, a physical education room, and unfortunately the school cafeteria. The school cafeteria is a large room that could fill the entirety of the iSchool population. However, Chelsea obtains 90% of the cafeteria, leaving the iSchool students with a small area that is an excuse of a cafeteria.

A majority of the iSchool population goes out for lunch. Even though the school is located in an expensive neighborhood that makes getting lunch everyday cost a student an average of $25-$50 a week. On the contrary, can you blame them when their alternative is a a small, crowded, dark corner?

I’ve spent time in the cafeteria on various occasions. Let me be clear that the room is awful. People are sitting too close to you, you have no space to comfortably sit and enjoy your meal. Fatima Moreira, a freshman, stated, “I would never eat there again. It’s crowded and loud.” The feeling is mutual by myself and other students that attend the iSchool.

The cafeteria is in need of major improvements. The walls could be broken down to give iSchool and Chelsea students equal room. Sophomore Hansel Figueroa is a cafeteria local who admits, “I don’t dislike the iSchool section, but our section is dark and small compared to the rest of the cafeteria.”

The iSchool administration is not blind to the fact that our microscopic section is in need of improvement. Assistant Principal Ms. Dodd admitted, “The space is very crowded, loud, and hot. I think we are opened to finding some solutions, but it would not be very clear right now.”

Students should be able to enjoy their food in a comfortable environment. Just because the iSchool is a smaller school compared to Chelsea, doesn’t mean that our needs as a school should be neglected. The cafeteria problem needs to be fixed. Students should not have to squander their money to avoid the place. The problem cannot be postponed any longer.