As the school year comes to a close, staff and students reflect on their experience with the new building and make suggestions for next year

Food Services Manager Debbie Herrera

El Estoque: What is the best thing about the new cafeteria and the new kitchen?
Debbie Herrera: The new building is like state of the art. Everything we have in this kitchen is what we have in a high-in restaurant. Now you have a choice to come in and grab and go, instead of asking for the food. The kitchen tools are the best, and we can cook a lot of fresh food.

EE: What were some of the new food choices you made this year? What are some of the options that will be available for next year?
DH: This year, we did chicken alfredo, chili dogs, chili cheese fries, cob salad, to name a few. Toward the end of the year, we are doing barbecue burgers a lot more so it’s not just grab and go. Next year, we want to do caramelized onions, and all burgers will be rib burgers, with your tomatoes and onion and cheese in them. We will also do teriyaki chicken hoagie roll. We want to change it up, because you guys want to get the food faster. We will make more grab-and-go foods that are healthier. For the salad bar, we are going to get couscous, caramelized onion, rice pilaf, some rosemary potatoes — we are going to change it up.

EE: What are some of the down sides of this cafeteria?
DH: I wish we had more steam wells so that we can steam the vegetables maybe three times or more a week. I wish we had more manpower, and I wish the [cash machines] could be further back so that the line could be extended out, and you guys don’t have to go in and out when it is crowded. I wish the cafeteria could be extended out. Everything else, I can’t complain.

Freshmen Mel Hauradou and Amber Hu

EE: How long have you been hanging out here in the cafeteria?
Amber Hu: I’ve been hanging out here since October. We [Liu and Hauradou] normally hang out together, and we hang out here every day during lunch.

EE: What is one thing you wish you could change about the cafeteria?
Mel Hauradou: It’s really crowded. If you come here late, there are no more spots.
AH: And people put their backpacks on the chairs to occupy spots.
MH: And people should clean up after they finish their lunch.

EE: What is one thing you really like about the cafeteria?
MH: It’s really big.
AH: The ceiling is really high.

Sophomore Betty Huang

EE: Do you hang out here in the cafeteria every day?
Betty Huang: I hang out here every day during lunch and brunch, and sometimes ELD has parties in the cafeteria too.

EE: What is one thing you like about the cafeteria?
BH: It’s really big, and during the parties for ELD, the acoustics are really good. And the first time I came here at night, I was like, wow it’s really pretty.

EE: What is one thing you don’t like about the cafeteria?
BH: The AC is a bit low, so during the summer it’s really hot.

Senior Sabrina Tsui

EE: Where did you hang out before the E Building was built?
Sabrina Tsui: I hung out right across the rally court [from the E Building]. Now I just hang out here [on the steps of the E Building] on the other side of the rally court.

EE: What’s one thing you would like to tell underclassmen who hang out here next year?
ST: Watch out for the birds. One time, I got pooped on the head by a bird, so stay under the canvas thingy [hanging over the steps outside of the E Building].

JAVA teacher Scott DeRuiter

EE: What is the best thing about this classroom?
Scott DeRuiter: The nice thing about the computer science classrooms is that the teachers were included in the design of the physical setup. We decided where to put the information output, what desks and computer equipments to purchase, how the floor layout looks, etc. So we have a space that we couldn’t even complain about because we were a part of the design. The new laptops and desktops are nice; the two new projectors [allow] me to show a website on one and a program on the other; we have better storage for the computer equipments; the light is really nice. This configuration allows more natural light to come in.

EE: What is the one thing you want to change about this classroom?
SD: I can’t really think of one thing that I would like to change. This space right here is pretty much ideal.

Math teacher Skip Mueller

EE: What is one thing you wish you could change about the classroom?
Skip Mueller: I sort of feel a little bit isolated over here [in E201] because I used to interact with other teachers a little bit more, especially with other math teachers. [This classroom] is next to the staff lounge, so I could stay here the whole day, and then go to teach JAVA in E204, so I’m just right here all day long.
EE: What is the best thing about this new classroom?
SM: The boards here all around the classroom are great for math teachers, and the natural light is great.