Throughout October, juniors at Jones have shared mixed opinions about their first-ever taste of off-campus lunch. 

“This is the first time we’ve been able to go off campus since starting at Jones,” said Abby Weinraub ‘26. “It’s a really great feeling to finally be able to leave after so long.” 

Before off-campus officially began for upperclassmen on September 30, students had struggles with form approval.

“I feel like the deadline for turning in the permission form was poorly communicated,” said Weinraub. “I filled out all of my forms online, and wasn’t aware I had to bring in the exact same ones in person. I had to wait a little bit longer for my forms to be processed because of that.”

Despite initial struggles, administration quickly worked to process forms, much to the enjoyment of students.

“I was really worried about not being able to go off campus because I missed the form deadline, and they originally said we would then have to wait until November 1st,” said Weinraub. “But around a week after I turned in my in-person forms, they processed them and I could leave.” 

Regardless of preliminary stress, the majority of upperclassmen now have access to off-campus lunch.

“I have really enjoyed my first month of off campus,” said Nina Djurovic ‘26. “Even though my bank account has suffered a bit, I’ve had a lot of fun being able to just casually go off with my friends basically every day.”

Whether it is the variety of food options, cost, or the overall atmosphere, students appreciate the diversity of restaurants surrounding Jones.

“Obviously I was aware that there are a ton of restaurants around Jones,” said Djurovic. “But now that I go off campus everyday with a lot of different people, I’ve been going to a lot of cool new places. One that I’ve really liked is Peet’s [Coffee], because I hadn’t really gone there much before off campus.”

Certain students, however, feel that off-campus lunch was over-hyped due to the long wait.

“I feel like because we waited so long for this, we were all really excited and anticipating it,” said Zohar Gafni-Kane ‘26. “But now that we can actually go, I feel like it’s not really anything that special. It kinda just feels the same as going out after school.”

Due to the typical stress and pressure associated with junior year, many junior students feel that off-campus activities provide a positive brain break in the middle of their school day.

“This year has already been really overwhelming,” said Weinraub. “Being able to go outside in the middle of the day and just hang out with friends has been pretty helpful. I feel like it helps me to take my mind off of my schoolwork and unwind, even if it’s just for a little while.”

Students also enjoy the new sense of freedom which comes with off-campus privileges. 

“When we were underclassmen, it sorta felt like we didn’t get a lot of say in what we did, especially because we couldn’t go off-campus for so long,” said Djurovic. “Now that we have the chance to leave in the middle of the day, I feel like I have more options for what to do with my time and that I’m more trusted in a way.”

Now that off-campus is here to stay for upperclassmen, juniors are looking forward to future off-campus experiences. 

“I’m really glad that we don’t have to wait to go off-campus anymore,” said Djurovic. “I’m excited to keep trying new places with my friends throughout the year.”