Booker High Cafeteria Opens

One building down, four to go at .

The school will have its grand opening its new cafeteria today, marking the first building to open from the school's $58 million rebuild,

This building is $4.1 million alone, according to Sarasota County Schools. 

Before, the cafeteria was actually two cafeterias separated by a central kitchen and walls. Now it's a large open space where 400 people can sit at the dining tables inside the cafeteria and another 350 people can sit outside on picnic-style tables. For now, about 250 of those outdoor seats can be used as construction continues on campus.

“The heart of most families can be found in the kitchen, so it seems very fitting that as we move towards a Booker family environment, the first building done is the cafeteria,” Booker High assistant principal Joshua Leinweber said in a news release. He noted that the cafeteria will be a place where students can enjoy meals with friends, take a break from the rigorous school day, and savor a bit of down time along with their lunches.

The 17,850-square-foot building contains sustainability features. The building is registered, was designed and built to Green Globe systems, which is a set of standards that considers environmental, sociocultural, quality, health, and safety issues. Although much of this consideration is in the design of the building and its materials, one new change in day-to-day operations that students and staff will notice is the implementation of reusable plastic trays, which will replace the disposable Styrofoam trays that have been used in the past.

The cafeteria features four internal serving stations, including a salad bar, and two outside windows for a la carte service. The salad bar was a popular item to bring back, according to the school district.

While students chow down, there are flat-screen monitors throughout featuring school announcements, events, club news, videos and more.

The school intentionally repositioned the location of the cafeteria to the front of the campus for easy access when it's used as a community space.

“Part of the intention was to create a more inviting atmosphere, letting the community know that they have access to the cafeteria,” Leinweber said. “This was designed with an element of fostering relationships to the community in mind.” 

The new facility also will serve as the school’s and the community’s emergency hurricane shelter, with additional ratings and construction elements that make it a stronger structure.

The improved Booker will include five new buildings and major renovations to five others, consolidating the 38 buildings that now occupy the BHS campus. The school will have an initial capacity for 1,200 students. The core facilities such as the cafeteria and media center will be built to accommodate 1,600 students, so more classrooms can be added when needed.

The entire campus is slated to be finished in 2013.

Staff reports were used in this story.