What do people look forward to during the school day? Is it the ability to learn new things every day? Is it being able to see friends that you normally wouldn’t see? More often than not, the answer is lunch.
You can hang out with friends, see people who you don’t see during the rest of the day, and, of course, eat.
And, New Trier students are luckier than most. We have opportunities to get food from the cafeteria outside of just our lunch period. There are the vending machines by the field house and in the student lounge, and students can spend their free periods eating at the tables there. If you really wanted to, you could eat all day long!
This year, there are even more options for socializing and food. The scrounge is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the cafeteria is open from 10:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.; the “Snack 2 Go” area (small cafeteria) is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m..
“We begin each day with a new Breakfast Cart on the Winnetka campus located in the main entrance of the school open from 7:30-8:15 daily,” said Josh Wenger, the Food Service Director.
Not all students have seen this cart. “I actually had no idea that they had a breakfast cart. I’ve been looking for a good place to find breakfast, I’ll start looking out for it now,” said sophomore Laura Swenson.
So far, student feedback has been very positive of those that have used it. “Students have been very pleased with all three service areas and are very happy that we are now in the main entrance of the school for breakfast,” said Wenger.
“I really like the breakfast cart because it is right by my advisory and it’s open in the morning,” said junior Paige Fitzgerald.
“I got breakfast a lot when the cafeteria provided it in the mornings last year. And now, I am using the breakfast cart a lot too, as well as the food in the small cafeteria,” said senior Michelle Dudra.
This positive feedback aligns with the school’s goals for hallway maintenance and food consumption. “The ‘Snack 2 Go’ area is aligned with the goal to have students spend free periods in this area versus the hallways,” said Wenger.
This plan has worked fairly well. There are always students sitting at the tables and doing homework or just simply socializing in the “Snack 2 Go” area. “I spend a lot my free periods in the small cafeteria. It’s a good place for my friends and me to meet up,” said senior Michele Saavedra.
Even teachers like the new additions to the food availability, according to Wenger. “They have expressed very positive comments with respect to food service this year, as well as how amazing the food tastes, the quality of the food and the vast variety,” he said.
This is a huge improvement from last year’s rocky start with the switch in food service providers at the beginning of the school year.
Both the students and teachers here at the Winnetka campus enjoy the new food options and the increased availability. The Northfield campus may now be able to enjoy some more food options as well.
“I’m working with Northfield Principal Paul Waechtler in regards to options for the freshman campus,” said Wenger.