Frequently, when students roll into fourth period, they start looking at the clock and counting the seconds down. Thirty minutes until lunch, twenty minutes until lunch, ten minutes until lunch… Why does time go by so slowly?

Stomachs begin to growl and there’s a sudden vibration running from the bottom of the stomach to the top of the ribs. Is it lunchtime yet? As the bell rings and kids sprint down the halls, the food service workers are prepared and ready to feed the hundreds of kids in line. This is one of the reasons we, as a community, appreciate and love our food service workers.

Food Service Supervisor Jennifer Ferback said, “The other day I ran the bar by myself. Usually, we have two lines there, but it was just me because we’ve been short on staff. It’s tough, but we do the best we can to give all the kids lunch in a timely manner.” We should all appreciate how food service workers at UC High deal with so much stress daily and still make it a goal to make food that students at UC High will enjoy.

“It’s seven of us in the kitchen at the moment. We start making lunches at nine or ten in the morning so that they’re ready by lunch time,” said Food Service Worker Kingski Delosreyes. “Some lunch staff, like Kingski, are at school from six in the morning getting ready to warm up breakfast for the students,” said Ferback. Food Service Workers like Delosreyes are at school before most teachers. The patience, dedication, and commitment it takes for individuals to be working long hours like our food service workers is admirable.

A common issue during lunch is students cutting in the line. This is unfair to all of the students who hustle to a good spot in line to get first choice for lunch. However, our food service workers do their best to make sure to stop rude students who attempt this. We appreciate how fair they are with everyone.

Another reason why the UC High food service workers are so amazing is that they make food for more than just UC High. Food Service Worker Diane Healy explained that they make food for over a dozen schools. These schools include the local cluster along with schools like Torrey Pines, La Jolla High, Proist, and Muirlands. Our lunch staff truly is one-of-a-kind, even helping out many other schools across San Diego in this way. It’s not just us who need to thank them, but all the other schools should too.

Luckily, many UC High students are very grateful for the lunch staff’s hard work. Senior Andrew Osornio said, “I appreciate the lunch staff because I know that they work hard every day to make sure that students are able to have something to eat. I think we owe nothing but gratitude towards the lunch staff since we can’t keep our school going without their hard work.”

Junior Matthew Wright added, “The lunch staff go out of their way to offer lunches to students. There’s been times where I was near the lunch area when the lines were cleared out and I had a lunch staff member ask if I had received lunch yet.” UC High’s lunch staff are a blessing in disguise. They bring kindness to the cafeteria, a smile to all UC staff and students, and a happy belly to a throng of hungry kids.

“I like cooking, being in the kitchen, being busy, and being around the kids. I appreciate the polite and thankful individuals that get lunch as well. It makes our job feel rewarding,” said Ferback. Just like Ferback appreciates students’ respectfulness. We appreciate her and her staff’s respectful attitude as well.

Our food service workers are amazing, because they work incredibly hard, make sure students don’t cut in line, supply food for other schools (not just ours), make sure everyone receives lunch, and are respectful. On behalf of all University City High School students, thank you food service workers for your dedication!