Emilie Hines, Year 12
The cafeteria has done something revolutionary: it has replaced the chairs that have been there since the founding of the cafeteria, with new ones. These new chairs, according to certain students, have proven themselves to not be as strong as the old wooden and metal ones. Also, students and staff who have been at this school for a long time have voiced their disapproval of the change.
One student stated that she thought the new chairs were not aesthetically pleasing at all, and that the older chairs had a much more friendly feeling to them. Another student said that he didn’t like the new chairs because he found that they were shakier and less reliable when you sit on them. A Middle School teacher said that she found the new chairs “surprising and difficult to get used to”.
However, the new chairs haven’t only gotten bad press. A Middle School student, Carla, said that she loved the new chairs because they weren’t all broken like the old chairs. Her boyfriend, Jake, backed her up by saying that the new chairs were much more comfortable than the old chairs and that he was really happy that the cafeteria had made this change. Several other students, both from High School and Middle School, have also argued that the new chairs are aesthetically pleasing, and that the old chairs were not.
Another change, though perhaps a less obvious one, is the replacement of the cafeteria’s coffee machine. This seems to have been noticed by more teachers than students. A High School teacher said that she was happy about the change, and that the coffee tasted much better than it had with the previous machine. Another High School teacher claimed that it was now much faster to get coffee, and that this was sufficient justification for replacing the coffee machine. Only one student disapproved, saying that she found the new process “complicated and just not as friendly as the old coffee machine”.
So, in conclusion, the new chairs in the cafeteria have provoked equal levels of reproach and approval. Some see them as more aesthetically pleasing, more reliable and more comfortable than the old chairs; and some see them as quite the complete opposite. One Middle School student, Hugo, said that we should just “quit debating and use the chairs already!” As for the coffee machine, that has got generally positive reviews, and I can say from experience that, even though it’s new, the hot chocolate it makes is smashing!
