Waiting for a cafeteria
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on September 10, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Kitty Parrish, cafeteria manager at Charles B. Aycock High School, prepares and checks the temperatures of muffins and juice before the start of breakfast this morning. The seating area for meals is currently in the gym until the new cafeteria is finished.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Cafeteria assistant Sentera Tucker checks out students as they receive their breakfast in the gym.
Students at Charles B. Aycock High School will have to wait a little bit longer to eat in their new cafeteria, but staff returned this week to prepare meals on site, officials said Wednesday.
"At this point, it has not opened," Ken Derksen, director of communication services for the district, said. "They're cooking in there but it's not open for occupancy. (Students) are still eating in the old gym."
Officials had announced before the start of the school year that the lunchroom would not be ready in time for students' return.
The school opened on schedule, on Aug. 24, but alternate arrangements were made for serving breakfast and lunch.
The $6.6 million project to add 20 classrooms and to expand the cafeteria had been moving along, with the two-story classroom addition and administrative areas expected to take longer. But the cafeteria and adjacent area were expected to be finished in time for the first day of school.
When it became apparent that would not happen, other arrangements were made.
The older gymnasium was converted into a temporary cafeteria for the interim. Food was prepared off-campus and transported in each day.
Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Dunsmore attended the school's open house to address parents about the issue.
At the time he indicated that the cafeteria and rest rooms were about a week and a half behind, hinting that the project could be done after Labor Day.
That has not happened, Derksen said, with one shift.
"They were bringing in food from Northwest Elementary School," he said. "Just this week, they started cooking (at CBA), so they're moving in the right direction."
The district had initially announced the meals would be prepared at Norwayne Middle and delivered to the high school each day, but that changed before school started.
"The Child Nutrition Department decided to use Northwest Elementary because it had a larger kitchen to prepare meals for two schools," Derksen said.
He said he has not received word as to a target date for completion, at which time tables and furnishings will be moved into the cafeteria and readied for student use.
The project was begun in 2014, to alleviate some of the overcrowding at the county's largest high school. On the first day of school, enrollment was at 1,213. By the 10th day, which the state uses to determine teacher placement and other needs, CBA had 1,280 students, eight more than the same time last year.