Michigan City High School unveiled a $866,000, remodeling project of the school cafeteria, which was a four-month project in the making, which represented a huge upgrade from the previous cafeteria.
“Isn’t this cafeteria simply awesome?” Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins, Michigan City Area Schools Superintendent asked the crowd at the ribbon cutting this morning. “We are celebrating the grand opening, which is designed in a college-going mode to serve our students. It is part of our plan to make our students college ready.”
The cafeteria hosts many new features and smart design. It is designed to reflect the way universities serve meals, with improved lighting and signage that is visually pleasing and adds to the student experience. Refrigerated open air merchandisers in five serving lines allow for displays of fresh salads, fruits, vegetables, and sandwiches. Quick-switch serving wells allow for hot or cold selections, and heated flat top shelves enable easy self-serve options.
"Part of our goal,” said Richard Hebard, of Hebard and Hebard Architects, Inc.,"was to relieve congestion. What we looked at was creating a central flow in and out of the lines, and we moved the trash locations to the far end of the cafeteria.”
He went on to say “We wanted to create a very good social environment for the students. We added different kinds of seating and charging stations. Round tables and rectangle spaces let them spend time with friends. The bar along the wall allows them to focus.”
So much care went into the cafeteria, from giving students more ways to socialize, to being sure they are provided with healthy options.
Tim Christianson, Food Service Equipment Specialist, HRI Solutions Inc. “We focused on creating more appealing selections. We added more vegetables. We repurposed the Wolves den to be the heart of the operation and bring some of the cooking straight to the kids with fresh pizza, which has gone crazy."
The lines in the cafeteria look much more like any healthy chain in America than a high school cafeteria. Television screens reflect the day's menu, an array of colorful juices and apples fill the refrigerated cases, and the lines are convenient, with a lot of options for students.
The previous “Wolves Den” sandwich/soup area has been transformed into a production room featuring a high-speed, ventless “Ovention” oven. This area now features homemade, fresh hot pizza, hot sandwiches, and flatbreads.
Cindy Licciardone, Director, MCAS Office of Food and Nutrition Services, said, “We are always looking for ways to invest in the future of our students. Our goal is to make a cafeteria that is modern and function and gives the students a dining area to be proud of. We get our students for each lunch through the lines in ten minutes. We used every inch of space available to make a great place for students to relax, enjoy lunch, and charge their devices.”
One of the greatest things about this project is that not a single dime of taxpayer money went into it. It was all funded by the MCAS Department of Food Services.
Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The new high-speed oven, fresh salads, and other menu options have increased the numbers of students purchasing meals at school. As a result of the increase, two full-time staff have been added to the MCHS cafeteria team.