The sun rises over vast lush grasslands. The wind whips through the trees and shrubs, whispering of new beginnings. The rumble of cattle herds can be heard for miles. It’s 1860. A horse rides into the shabby settlement with big news: the official post office of Lebanon, Texas has just been approved. The cheers throughout the town are drowned only by the whistle of the train as it departs to new frontiers.
Given the rich history of the Lebanon region, it’s unsurprising that they have maintained a number of traditions for decades; it’s a part of their culture. However, in the past few years, Lebanon Trail High School has lost many of its signature traditions.
One of the most impactful lost traditions was Mega Lunch, an hour-long lunch where all four grades could gather across the campus or attend tutorial sessions with their teachers. This format was discontinued in the 2025-2026 school year, largely due to logistical challenges and staffing shortages. Now, people are restricted to lunches A, B, C, or D depending on their third period class.
The class of 2028 only experienced a year of Mega Lunch, followed by a year of traditional lunch. Sophomore Andrew Nyugen shared his opinion on the long lunch period’s disappearance.
“I thought Mega Lunch was a lot better, some of my teachers agree,” Nyugen said. “It’s a lot harder to get tutorial times and I have less time to eat. I also don’t have any way to spend time with my friends during the school day.”
Of course, one class likely has a perspective completely different from the others: the class of 2029, who entered Lebanon Trail the year Mega Lunch was removed. Freshman Jack Keen gave his view.
“Traditional lunch is okay, but Mega Lunch sounded cool,” Keen said. “I wish I could have had it this year, but I also get why they took it away.”
Mega Lunch is not the only tradition that has been discontinued. Blazerfest, an all-day event full of games, food, and competition, was officially cancelled in 2026 after a turbulent history, especially recently. In 2024, Blazerfest was abruptly restricted to juniors and seniors due to fighting and general misbehavior from underclassmen, although freshmen and sophomores who had signed up for the kickball tournament were still allowed to participate. In 2025, this alteration was carried over with underclassmen also being prohibited from the tournament.
For the class of 2027, Blazerfest has been just out of reach since their freshman year. One junior explained why the cancellation of Blazerfest
“I’ve been excited for Blazerfest every year, but every year they’ve cancelled it for us,” he said. “I get that it might be hard to manage, but I at least wish they would’ve told us earlier in the year.”
Although there were many valid reasons for taking away both traditions, it’s undeniable that it has had an effect on the school’s culture. Senior Reese Lawson gave her opinion on the topic.
“LT has changed a lot since I was a freshman,” Lawson said. “It’s been a great experience, but I miss a lot of the things that we used to have here.”
