ENHANCE THE CAMPUS LIFE EXPERIENCE

If you’re at Mercersburg but not in a classroom or dorm, where are you, probably? Hint: Most people go there three times a day for fellowship, fun, and food. All three are served in the dining hall, the one place on campus where the entire community gathers to connect at mealtimes.

This pivotal place has been identified as one of three spaces that will enhance the campus life experience:

• Dining hall renovations

Fitness and wellness experience–exploring options for the Flanagan Pool

• Campus front door: Addition of a gatehouse on Academy Drive

“The dining hall in Ford Hall will undergo a significant renovation to create a more welcoming environment for one of the school’s most treasured community settings,” said architect Jeff Blanchard, principal at The Blanchard Group.

Additionally, options for the Flanagan Pool space, which became available after the completion of the Lloyd Aquatic Center, are being explored.

“We recognize that we have this really wonderful and storied space in the Flanagan Pool that is now open,” said Head of School Quentin McDowell. “I want to make sure that we take the time to consider what’s best for that area. It’s likely to be fitness and wellness, and to expand that and more indoor facilities for our kids to use as they pursue healthy lifestyles and athletics. We see that as being a need, but we also recognize that we have a lot of other incredible facilities at the moment that can serve most of those needs.”

Lastly, options to provide a warm and inviting entrance at the intersection of Academy Drive and Sycamore Lane are being explored.

“A number of years ago we changed the address to be at the front entrance,” McDowell said. “We do want to funnel people through our campus. What’s the experience we want them to have when they first see Mercersburg? We want them to see Academy Drive and Sycamore Lane and the chapel and campus, but we also want them to have an experience where they see the town of Mercersburg, which is very much a part of who we are. How do we negotiate that, so when people are coming to campus, they get a full experience, but a very intentional experience, and that they also feel a sense of being welcomed and acknowledged upon arrival? The long-term plan there is to think through that very thoughtfully and consider whether or not we someday want to have a welcome center.”

Homemade Rolls in Science Class

What if a renovated dining hall included a classroom kitchen or two? What would we do with that? Think beyond the traditional home economics class because, as usual, our faculty are already there.

Take, for instance, Cory Bontrager’s chemistry class. They could be found in the True Blue Café this school year concocting hands-on projects, with the added bonus of devouring what they created. Homemade rolls in science class? You bet. That’s one lesson the kids won’t forget.

“We’ve been doing some really interesting teaching that involves cooking,” said Julie Maurer, associate head of school for school life. “Can we think about a classroom or space where students can engage in that kind of work, extending the walls of the classroom right into spaces like a kitchen? If we had a space in the new dining hall that would allow students to cook, that would be so well used. There are all kinds of really neat opportunities to think about what our dining hall could be.”