The McNicholas Milestone

By Natalie Jones and Ayla Dickerson

Over the summer, McNicholas High School made many improvements to the cafeteria including updated electric work, new coolers, and a remodeled interior with even more improvements planned 

McNicholas High School President Dr. Denver Stanfield said that he communicated with other high school principals about their school cafeterias and meal options. He considered switching companies and asking different restaurants if they would cater certain days of the week, but he eventually decided that would have been a bigger expense than what McNick could handle.  

In addition to the major upgrades, rocket-themed decorations will be added throughout the year.  A “Rocket FUEL” sign will be added above the counter where hot lunches are served, a “McNicholas High School Cosmic Café” sign will be placed on the face of the counter, and on the back wall, a “It’s a GREAT day to be a ROCKET” will be positioned. 

In the end, he decided that remaining with the same food company as before, 5 Star, would be the best decision financially and nutritionally for the McNicholas community.  Stanfield admits that this “was an unexcepted financial change” for the school, as McNicholas had to make many updates to their kitchen including modernized electrical work and remodeling. New flooring was added, along with fresh paint on the walls and more coolers for food storage. The main reason McNicholas considered different food options was because of nutrition concerns from students, parents, and faculty. Chef and café manager, Tonya Gorden, said she uses as many fresh products as possible. “If I use can goods it’s probably a bean or sauce,” Gorden said. Stanfield added that he wants students to recognize the improvements and [McNick] being able to provide good, nutritious meals for students.  

Even though this is Gorden’s first year working for McNicholas High School, she said she “loves it!” She hopes to be approachable to students so they may be able to communicate meals they would like to see, dietary needs they have, any issues they have regarding what food options are being provided, or even how their day was with her. Gorden said, “I love all you guys; food is love.” Gorden hopes to make each student at McNicholas feel special and “create a vibe” in the cafe through the different foods offered.   

Gorden said that the school is trying to go back to a fingerprint paying system that will be based on thermal temperatures. She said this change is due to the issue of students forgetting or losing their barcode cards. A payment method that is also permitted is Apple Pay. This will not only solve the forgotten barcode issue but will provide a more convenient payment method. Gorden also wanted to add that if an item you are purchasing will not scan on the machines, try using the search option and look up the item.  

Gorden also said the menu for the cafe will change daily until the student body’s favorite meals are discovered. Daily breakfast items currently include cinnamon rolls; sausage, egg, and cheese burritos and biscuits; bacon, egg, and cheese burritos and biscuits; and either pancakes, waffles, or French toast. For lunch, soft pretzels, fries, and cheeseburgers are provided daily. Every day, over 100 servings of each meal are made and 200 on pizza days. With snacks and drinks, there are over 150 options in the cafeteria for students or faculty to choose from.  

Currently, the average price of a meal is $5, which includes fries and an entrée. Gorden said that price increase or decrease will depend on the economy but ultimately, the decision of prices is up to the company. 

Many students said they were excited about the new food choices available, and how it has drastically improved compared to previous years.   

Junior Mark Ryan said, “There’s more health[y] choices than last year, more sandwich, and yogurt options.”  

Junior soccer player Fletcher Pyles said he likes to get the new protein bars before practices. Students have various opinions on the prices in the new café.  

Seniors Lucy Laudeman and Megan Berger decide on a mid-day snack. The newly renovated cafeteria has over 150 choices daily for students between pre-packaged and freshly prepared food.