Senior David Shin grabbed his chicken tenders from the lunch line, starving and ready to devour. After punching in his lunch number he wonders, how much does this cost? The price, free.

Starting from this year on, House Bill 22-1414, better known as the Healthy School Meals for All Program, is in action. This bill is for all Colorado public schools and will provide free school meals for students. This bill also provides grants for schools looking to buy locally sourced foods. It was tested out during the 2021-2022 school year, but now it’s here to stay!

Free lunch being back at Fairview has had a positive influence on Fairview. “It makes it a lot easier for a lot more students to gain accessible lunch rights,” said Shin. “Which makes it a lot easier for us to get lunch.” 

The privilege of free lunch back at Fairview has helped keep students full. This increased accessibility has in turn made school lunch a much more viable option for students, both practically and economically. 

“I do get it more because it’s free food. I mean, it doesn’t really matter how good it tastes if it’s free,” said John Limpus (11). Many students feel similarly, now preferring the free lunches than the costly food at King Soopers, Wendy’s, or Snarfs. 

“It makes more sense than going out to eat and spending money,” said Nathan George (11). Because of the easy accessibility of these free lunches, students are more frequent in using the easy resource as opposed to going out. David Shin (12) said he had seen a change in the amount of students getting school lunch he said “Yeah definitely, it definitely increases it because a lot more students get the lunches.” 

So what are the school lunch favorites for Fairview students? 

“The nachos are decent. I like the nachos and sometimes the burgers” stated George. 

Burgers especially seem to be many students’ new favorite, with Limpus saying “the fries have improved, bro.” Another favorite menu item that is offered are the chicken tenders.  

Even with free lunches being back, the Fairview community has done a good job of keeping the Castle clean and throwing away their garbage in the correct places. Shin said he had noticed a difference in the amount of garbage or trash around the school with free lunch being back, and he said “I don’t think so. I think it just gives more students access to lunch. I think it’s more of a good thing overall.”  

With many school districts around the state strongly encouraged to buy locally, our food has been fresher than ever! 

Overall the Healthy School Meals for All Program has been very well received by Fairview students. The program’s accessibility as well as its emphasis on high quality food is massive in keeping students not just in Fairview, but the whole state’s tummies full.