You’ve probably walked by the Terry Center recently and seen the construction going on next to the sidewalk. Maybe you’ve even been rained on due to the lack of a cover with the construction. You’ve probably wondered, “What’s going on over there?”
In this area, the new Ranger Connection is going to be built, with work starting already as you can see. Then, to the left of it, the new cafeteria renovations will be made starting a little bit right now, but mainly occurring over the summer, so the new cafeteria will be ready for next year.
Mr. Antes, the VP of Advancement at Jesuit, said that the reason for moving the Ranger Connection is that “There will be a larger space, it will be more convenient for visiting parents and alums, and for outdoor athletic events people that work in the Ranger. Connection won’t have to set up a portable stand.”
Mr. Antes then moved on to the new cafeteria:
“The new cafeteria will have a new food service plan with a wider array of food offerings with an all you can eat style for breakfast and lunch.”
For those of you worried about having only healthy food or only unhealthy food, fear not as the cafeteria will have food options on both ends of the health spectrum.
Continuing on, Antes mentioned how “The cafeteria is the part of our campus most like the original, and the most in need of updating.” Work on the cafeteria has already started over Spring Break, and will be done in time for the next school year.
Mr. James Kramer, the Director of Communications at Jesuit, talked about how “the Cafeteria is a multi step process, and some steps have already been completed.” The reason Jesuit does this is to maintain maximum efficiency so as not to shut down the lunch service for a lengthy amount of time, making things easier for the students. The new cafeteria will also be more efficient, making it more destination based in order to allow more time for decompressing with friends and less time waiting in the lunch line.
Speaking of multi step processes, the theater is another project Jesuit has been working on. When talking about the theater, Mr. Kramer mentioned how “the new theater will be a cutting edge state of the arc theater, which will ideally act as a haven for the arts at Jesuit and possibly the surrounding area.” That kind of reputation would definitely fit well with Jesuit’s current status, as it’s both a school and museum.
The theater won’t only serve for theatrical purposes as Mr. Antes mentioned that “the theater will be used for film festivals as well, and will also feature a courtyard outside for intermissions or even potentially for teachers to teach class in.”
In terms of ending dates for these projects, the Cafeteria as stated earlier will be ready for next years school year, while the Ranger Connection’s finishing date will be a little less certain, due to the possibilities of bad weather stalling construction. The Theater, if all goes well, will be ready around the spring of summer of 2019. The theater renovations have started off well, with Tom Melsheimer ’79 (2017 Distinguished Alumnus) and Mickey Melsheimer giving a very generous donation for the construction plans.
With many exciting renovations taking place over the next few years, the Roundup is the best place to receive updates and news on these and other projects. Check back to the Roundup for more news on Jesuit’s Renovations!
