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The Maker Paper » Maker Life » Students Speak Out on Lunch Quality at UA Maker

Students Speak Out on Lunch Quality at UA Maker

By Zhu Liang

December 23, 2025

When Kaelon Calhoun, a sophomore at Urban Assembly Maker Academy, goes to the cafeteria, he often leaves without eating. He said he usually tries to pick up a cold lunch, but the soggy bread and unappealing appearance often cause him to throw it away.

“When I don’t eat lunch, I get really hungry and my stomach hurts,” Calhoun said. “It makes it hard to focus in class.”

Calhoun is not alone. Many students said school lunch options often feel unappetizing and unhealthy. During lunch periods, students crowd the line waiting for certain meals, while others are left with food they do not want to eat. Even when vegetables are offered, students said they are often thrown away.

“The lunches look greasy and low quality,” Calhoun said. “The ingredients feel cheap.”

Other students said lunch quality affects their mood and learning.

“If the school gave students healthier and better food, people would be happier,” said Josiel Santana-Martinez, 17. “It could help students feel more relaxed and focused.”

Mike Altamirano-Castillo, 14, agreed. “If the school lunch was better quality, more students would eat it,” he said. “Eating lunch gives you energy for the rest of the day.”

Students also said long lunch lines and limited options make the problem worse. Many described soggy vegetables, overcooked pasta, dry chicken tenders, and stale bread.

However, school staff said the issue is not entirely controlled by the school. Food is funded and supplied by the city, which means schools follow a set menu used across New York City Public Schools.

“We receive food from different companies through a central warehouse,” said Jorge Mejia, 25, who has worked in the cafeteria for four years. “We don’t fry food. We bake or steam it to make it healthier.”

School leaders also said kitchen limitations affect food quality.

“Our kitchen mainly has large warming equipment,” said Amy Piller, principal of UA Maker. “We don’t have a full cooking kitchen, so even if we had fresh ingredients, we wouldn’t be able to prepare them the way people imagine.”

Piller added that the Parent Teacher Association helps support lunch improvements by funding small changes, but she said the school would need a major kitchen upgrade to prepare fresher meals.

Research shows that even when healthier lunches are introduced, challenges remain. In one study of school meal programs, researchers found that about 45.3 percent of food served was wasted, with the greatest food waste coming from vegetables, main entrées, and milk reinforcing student observations that many lunch items go uneaten.

Kitchen staff said they follow guidelines from the city’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services and aim to meet students’ nutritional needs. Staff members said chefs design menus to provide required calories and nutrients.

Food experts say school meals play an important role in student health. Ann Cooper, chef who served as director of food services for Boulder Valley School District, has advocated for healthier meals and better kitchen facilities in schools. She explained that school lunch affects students both inside and outside the classroom and should provide nourishment as well as taste.

“Healthy school lunch means students are getting the nourishment they need to power their mind and body to learn,” Cooper said.

As UA Maker students continue to express concerns about food quality, staff members say meaningful improvement will require changes at both the school and city level. For many students, the hope is simple: a lunch that looks better, tastes better, and helps them make it through the school day.

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