The lunch department began hosting raffles this semester, offering students a chance to win gift cards and certificates to local restaurants. To enter, students simply have to buy lunch at the school cafeteria.

“I always buy lunch, but now I have something to look forward to every week. I really hope I end up winning,” sophomore Julia Rychlik said.

Every week, the lunch staff randomly pulls out two tickets from the entries that have been submitted that week. The winners are posted at the lunch area near the E Building.

“I got a Pieology gift certificate for a free pizza, which was pretty great. I mean, who doesn’t love pizza?” freshman raffle winner Akshata Vartak said.

In addition to Pieology, eateries for which students can win certificates include Wildflour Bakery, TIFA Chocolate & Gelato, Joi Cafe and Mendocino Farms. The lunch department hopes to continue these raffles next year as long as the businesses mentioned above continue to offer their services.

District nutritionist Carole Ly said that the raffles are used with hopes to encourage lunchtime participation. Currently, approximately 50 students buy food during nutrition and 130 students do so during lunch.

“The student population at OPHS is close to 1500, so we are currently reaching a very small number. We want to encourage more students to try the food in the cafeteria. Many have never even stepped foot inside,” Ly said.

Freshman Camille Snader explains why she doesn’t buy lunch at school.

“The line is just way too long to stand in everyday. After you get your lunch, you only end up having 10 or so minutes to actually eat the food,” Snader said.

Other students said that they simply believe that there are better alternatives to school lunches.

“The only reason I would not buy the school’s lunch is that I prefer the lunch I bring from home,” sophomore Riti Hegde said.

Yet, some students see potential in the new raffle system.

“The cafeteria raffle is a great way to retain the people who are already buying lunch in school,” junior Rutwik Tipireddy said.

Freshman Alex Labrecque, however, has not won the raffle despite buying lunch four times in one week.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t win, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for next week,” Labrecque said.

To these students, Ly assured that they still have a chance at the raffle.

“We have been keeping all the tickets from day one because we will be doing a drawing for a more lucrative prize in the near future,” Ly said.