After Winter Break, the Dining Hall will close for renovations until the end of the 2024-2025 school year. The school’s dining will be temporarily relocated to the Ford Tennis Courts, adjacent to the Mars Athletic Center. After a student vote, the new space has been christened the Ford Food Court (FFC).
Since the FFC is a 5-minute walk away from the Main Building, students have voiced concern about making it to the temporary dining space for breakfast. Victoria Fang ’25 said, “The walking time and cold mornings will make it a lot more difficult for my friends and I to be at breakfast every morning.”
The administration has taken steps to address these worries. Saturday classes will be pushed to 9 a.m., a change that will remain in place even after the completion of the new Dining Hall. Lunch-time passing periods have also been changed to 10 minutes to compensate for the walk.
In addition to adding more seats for dining in the FFC, there will also be a lounge area where students can relax before or after meals. Associate Head of School Dr. Amber Douglas said, “We wanted to make sure that the renovations don’t feel like a loss; that’s why we’ve done everything possible to make this experience fun and special.”
Continental options for breakfast, including coffee, tea, hot chocolate, yogurt, granola, bagels, and pastries, will be offered in the Main Building on school days. Additionally, the Dining Hall team is looking to increase the frequency of popular foods and desserts on the menu.
The FFC will include a stage and sound system. Student band MB140 is looking to perform in the first few weeks after the FFC’s opening. Members of HDA who aren’t performing in Raisin in the Sun, the Winter mainstage, also intend to perform in the FFC. Addie Cirulis ’25, co-head of HDA and a board member of MB140, said, “Mr. Derek Brashears, director of theater, has been working hard to put in the right equipment so that we can do some pretty advanced things. We’re getting a full sound system, which is a big deal for a temporary facility.”
Dr. Douglas said, “Communal dining doesn’t just serve one purpose. It’s not just the food or the place, but being with the community—that’s part of why we’re at the school to begin with.”
