Underclassmen sported blue arm bands to show their support for Thursday’s open lunch protest

Friday, May 21 wasn’t the same as every other day. During first hour a voice over the PA  called down all juniors to the cafeteria for a meeting with the principals.  “We’ve been meaning to get with our juniors and discuss the schedule changes with them,” Principal Rob Dureka explains as the reasoning for this impromtu meeting.  “but honestly, the fact that [the juniors] brought it up was definitely a reason to make this more urgent. [Yesterday’s] protest was a catalyst.”   Twenty-four hours earlier juniors and sophomores wearing blue bands of protest stood in front of the cafeteria doors blocking the entrance.     “About 10:20 pm [the night of the protest], I called up some staff members and said, ‘We need to get together with the juniors and talk with them.’ I’m not a guy who likes to wag my finger in people’s faces, but we have to keep a safe environment,” Dureka continues. “So we decided to have meetings in first hour the next day.”   Divided alphabetically, the juniors sat in the cafeteria while Durecka and the other two administrators provided kudos to the students for coming together as a class on this issue.   “You voiced your opinions. It was good that the student body was united under a common theme,” he says. “[However] I’m not sure a lot of you know about the rationale behind this, so I wanted to clear things up. We [The Bloomfield Hills School Board and administrations] have been trying to keep cuts away from students. Custodians took a 25% pay cut and teachers have to teach six of seven classes, which is stressful. Lunch is the first thing to hit students.”   After his explanation, students were allowed to ask questions.

“What happens if I get sick at Model?” Junior Shelby Dubin asked Dureka  who responded that this issue is “something to be worked on.”
Junior Molly Cheslin’s concern focused on the buses which she believes are usually the reason why students are late to class and not the fact that most students drive themselves.   In response, Durecka stated missing the bus would probably result in an unexcused absence; however, if students became ill then their parents would have to pick up them from Model or Lahser.    “Is this a financial problem?”  Junior Mitchell Warner asked.
According to Durecka, previous decisions  such as teachers teaching  six of seven classes,  and taking a paycut were financially driven; however, after more communication within  the faculty, the idea of having to add in a 40-minute teacher work time cut into the schedule. With this, the sidea of shortening of lunch became more than just an idea.
As the rumors of this decision increased numerous members of the class of 2011 began to take action.
“A huge group of kids met in the Home Economics hallway and the group became bigger and bigger. Then we walked down into the front of the cafeteria together and stood there talking,” says junior Danielle Rapp, a supporter of the protest’s cause. “We feel that all of our privileges have been taken away and we’ve have had all the disadvantages. Open lunch was something we wanted ever since we got to high school and now they’re taking it away,” she says.
“No one was moving. It was really congested” added junior Dillon Dewundara.
“We made a difference. People have been talking and the rest of my grade and other grades have been saying they want to do it again, that they’re shocked this really worked. I think we just needed someone to start it for everyone to realize that they had a chance of changing something,” she says.
Not only did the juniors get the attention of their administration but also the cafeteria personal whose business  was hurt by those juniors boycotting lunch that day.
“What they [the juniors] don’t realize is that the school board made the decision to close open lunch, not us, and now we [the lunch department] are the ones being harmed. We lost about the equivalent to 80 combo lunches,” explains cafeteria director Deanna Perrino.
According to Perrino, even though the campus will be closed for lunch the administration and the cafeteria staff are working together to make situation more bearble.
“We’re bringing in a chicken line, called the ‘chicken shack’, a hot panini sandwich line, and we’re also going to make new lines to make things more organized and efficient. Also, we’re bringing in all new tables and chairs,” Perrino says.  “We make almost everything from scratch, and we’re going to try to do everything we can to adjust to all the kids being here. It’ll be a challenge, but it is doable and we’ll make it happen.”
reflecting on the situation Dureka says, “[The closing of open lunch] has definitely caused tension but, you know, Farmington laid off 166 teachers this year and  West Bloomfield is borrowing money. We’re just trying to make things work. It’s just the way it is. It’s the reality of funding right now… We just want the students to be successful, that’s the main goal.”

Written by: Ashley DuBois on June 19, 2010.
Last revised by: Brian Margosian on October 28, 2010.