A Look Back: Beginning of computerized lunch systems

Suzy Blalock, Webmaster

Before 1996, whenever a student wanted to eat lunch, there wasn’t the normal “pin-pad” students use today to charge for their lunch. Instead, students had to bring lunch money every day to school to pay for their lunch.

However, beginning on Oct. 28, 1996, the school switched from the paper money system to a pin system.  Students were frustrated with this idea, with a survey saying the majority thought it was, “stupid and time consuming.”

One student, Brenda Earl, voiced her opinion by saying, “You stand in line so long, the food gets cold.”

There was a lot of confusion in the beginning with the system, with students forgetting their pins that created long lines. Some people even tried guessing numbers in hopes of charging someone else for their lunch.

Today, students still use the pin system, but fingerprint readers are also an option.