Tuesday some members of the Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education got a first-look at the renovated cafeteria.

JPS Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said JHS alumni will be surprised at what they will see.

With the renovation comes a new four-station kitchen. The first station will serve pizza; the station will serve deli items; the third station will serve the main entree; and the fourth station will be a salad bar.

“Every week we’ll be changing (the menu), so we’re excited about that, but we can’t really introduce it until September, when we get the whole kitchen,” said JPS Food Service Director Scott Johnson.

One change from the former cafeteria is the new entrance. Students now can enter the cafeteria from the stairs located across the hall from the attendance offices. Before, students could only access the cafeteria from the basement entrances.

“We are all about kids,” Whitaker said Tuesday. “The purpose here is to provide our kids with something that is meaningful and clean, and new, and available to them to make a great environment to learn.”

JHS Principal Allyson Smith echoed Whitaker’s remarks, and said she was elated that students now will have a great space to eat.

“Thank you to everyone that’s been involved,” Smith added. “I’m really excited to have our students in here for the first time tomorrow, excited to see their faces, excited to see them operate in the space, as well as to have our cafeteria staff work in the space.”

Architect Richard Krouse said the project started in 2021 and has gone through many different scenarios.

From left, Jamestown Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker, and Jamestown High School Principal Allyson Smith cut the ribbon to open the renovated cafeteria at JHS. They are standing in front of the new staircase that students can use to enter the cafeteria from the first floor. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

In order to match the school’s Red and Green colors, Krouse said the furniture in the renovated cafeteria was custom designed. He also said there was a discussion about the quantity of booths versus tables – how many of each?

Before the renovation, there was a very low ceiling which some people may have labeled as a confining atmosphere. With the addition of a skylight, it adds a sense of roominess to the cafeteria, and also creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

“So thank you to everyone. Thank you for creating this opportunity for our students,” Smith added.