The core of lancer jacks continues to thrive

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Adoley Swaniker

Students line up outside Lancer Jacks to get their lunchtime snacks. Lancer Jacks offers a wide variety of food to accommodate the various preferences of Carlsbad students.

Maggie Sweeney, editor in chief

The infamous Lancer Jacks is a hotspot for students before and during school, but most students don’t know about the students behind the cash register.

These students graciously give up their time before school and during lunch to make sure their fellow Lancers get what they need to enjoy their day.

“The worst part is getting to school so early,” sophomore Cheryll Carter said. “I have to be here by 7 a.m. every morning, so I’m always waking up early, but it’s fine because I actually really enjoy being with all my friends.”

Though they are open before school, Lancer Jacks receives the most attention during lunch, so the lunch student staff becomes very busy.

“In the morning it doesn’t get very crowded, but at lunch there’s a lot of super hungry people who get pretty restless,” junior Sarahi Casas said. “There’s more of a demand for food, but it teaches me to have better patience and customer service.”

By giving up their social time to sell food and satisfy customers, the student staff also prepares for their future dealing with money.

“Working gets me get a lot of community service hours which will help for college,” Carter said.

Most would only expect the workers to be there for a 40 minute lunch period, but they go beyond by taking a class where the students work with special needs students and teach them how to do their job.

“I started working there sophomore year by taking the elective Peer Advocates,” Casas said. “You get to help other people work cash registers and teach them how to take inventory.”

The staff become friends with co-workers and teachers around campus because of their contribution to the school. Initially, most of the staff got involved through friends.

“I heard about the job through a friend who told me they needed more volunteers,” Carter said.

While most students get their food and leave, some frequent buyers notice how hard the staff works and praises them for their tenacity.

“I go to Lancer Jacks a lot,” sophomore Rebecca Allen said. “They’re all really good at their jobs and have good customer service. It seems really hard to keep up with everything, but they manage really well.”

Along with the growing demand of food, comes some changes. Lancer Jacks has grown overwhelmingly over the years, but small changes can make or break the shop.

As the student staff at Lancer Jacks devote their time to their school, they enjoy the experience and enjoy the perks that come with the job.

“You get a ton of community service hours and meet a ton of great people along the way,” Casas said. “It’s just a lot of fun.”