Many students at school choose to spend their Spartan Time and lunch time, going out with friends to hang out or grab a bite to eat. Students have noticed that they have to rush, sometimes returning to school late, depending on each students individual situation. Spartan time allows for students who are on unassigned to receive 30 minutes of free time. For juniors and seniors this means those who are able to drive or are able to get a ride, are allowed to leave school and do as they please. Freshman and Sophomores however, have to remain at school even if they are unassigned.

Some students are lucky enough to receive spartan time and lunch back to back. For those students who are on unassigned and have A lunch, they are allowed to leave school for one hour. This gives those students an extra 30 minutes to get food or relax outside of school.

Restaurants for trips of 30 minutes or less

Some students receive less time to leave school for lunch, whether it is because they do not have A lunch and Spartan Time together, or if they are on assigned. Not all teachers accept or appreciate food in their classrooms, so the 30 minute option is limited even further for these students.

There are few restaurants located within a few miles of school, but some close options include Sonic, Subway, and Jimmy Johns. Both Sonic and Subway are easily reached within minutes, and the delivery of the food is fast. Jimmy Johns is slightly farther away from school, accessible by traveling across the bridge at the entrance to US 63, just past Subway and Sonic.

All three of these restaurants are viable options for students, except that you might not be able to finish that sub from Jimmy Johns by the time you have to be back to class due to that slightly further distance. Cody Rachetelle, a senior in high school, believes Sonic to be the safest bet, as it takes about 15 minutes to get food from Sonic and return to school.

Restaurants for 1 hour or less

Students that are lucky enough to have Spartan time available, and A lunch together on the same day, receive roughly 1 hour of free time. From the ring of the bell to the start of 2nd block for these students, 1 hour and 12 minutes has passed. This large amount of time opens up most restaurants accessible by Highways 63 and 70. The increased amount of time allows for students to reach most fast food restaurants within Columbia, and return to school with time left to spare.

Many students with this larger amount of time free from school, like to travel to restaurants located on Clark Lane. Clark Lane has a variety of fast food restaurants available to hungry students. All of the fast food restaurants on Clark Lane are places students can go to without worrying about running out of time to return back to school. Restaurants on Clark Lane that students like to attend but are not limited to are; McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Wendy’s.

Students also like to travel a bit farther than Clark Lane, and go to restaurants near Conley road, and East Broadway. Restaurants near this area include Panda Express, Panera, Chipotle, and Pancheros. However it is easy to lose track of time and arrive to school late.

Jake Hedrick briefly describes how he has been late.

“It is usually bad timing on my part. I’m usually late because the places are busy.” Hedrick said.

Going out to lunch is enjoyed by many upperclassmen, and is soon to be enjoyed by future upperclassmen. It does not matter whether an hour or half an hour is available for lunch, students will always need to watch their time.