Almost all Whitney Young students who have used one of the school’s lunchroom microwaves have been there. Whether it is waiting a long time because of only one microwave working or finding out their food did not heat up despite the microwave being plugged in, many have had recurring problems with one of the things that they take for granted at Whitney Young. However, no one would anticipate an event that would bring the heat to an already controversial topic.

Last Friday, November 30th, marked the fateful day. Around seventh period, rumors began to flood the halls, stating that one of the microwaves in the Blue House lunchroom had caught fire. These rumors were quickly verified, as students in seventh period lunch began flooding their Snapchat stories with videos of flames coming out of the side of the microwave. While most students saw the situation unfold on social media, others, like Rachel Amegatcher ‘19, heard about it once the news began to spread. “One of my friends in my eighth period class told me about the fire. Everyone was talking about it despite the fire only being the period before. My teacher even tried to get in on it!”

During the initial stir on the 30th, students began to note how the microwave incident was the cherry on top of a busy couple of weeks at school. For students like Faith Lam ‘20, the microwave incident only adds to a growing list of events that have occured in an “overwhelming” week. “Ever since Michelle Obama came, it seems like so much has been going on around here. It’s weird to see this story about the microwave without thinking about everything else that is happening.”

Not only has it brought attention to the craziness the school has been facing lately, but it has also brought back attention to the general microwave problems that students encounter almost every day. Sam Schmidt ‘19 states that the the microwaves can be “absolutely disgusting” at times. “Whenever I had to put my food in a microwave, it looked toxic in there. I think that they really need to be cleaned out once in a while for everyone’s sake.” Many students agree with Sam, and some even believe that the burnt food in the uncleaned microwave is what caused the fire. In addition to the lack of cleanliness, students also experience the microwaves not heating up food properly or them not wanting to turn on despite being plugged in. Whatever the issue or incident, it is clear that the microwaves at Whitney Young have been through some tough times.

What are your thoughts on the microwave fire? Have you ever experienced problems with the microwaves yourself, and should students begin to stack up their microwave fire safety knowledge?