Take Five at Intermission Café

Intermission, our new café, is one of the many additions to our school campus this year. The café space was described as a “happy accident” by Mr. Tragert, as it was only moved up to the first floor due to the construction of our theater. Although we already have a variety of food and beverages provided by our new food service, Sodexo, as well as the new set up of furniture, Mr. Tragert hinted that the café may add new features such as possible Sodexo food changes, the installation of TVs, and new furniture. After the completion of the theater, the café was intended to be moved back to its original space. However, the move of the café up to the first floor increased the number of students and teachers visiting the space, “so it was natural for us to improve it this year because last year [the café was] built in a day and a half.” Although our café, Intermission, seems finished, as stated by Mr. Tragert it is still “a work in progress”, with many new modifications to come.

As per school rules, students have never been allowed to buy coffee until the beginning of this year, when Sodexo, unfamiliar with the rule, began to sell coffee to all students including sixth graders. This was a major concern for many faculty members, including Mr. Tragert, due to the fact that caffeine is addictive and definitely not encouraged by teachers, especially for students as young as eleven and twelve. They “didn’t want a sixth grader walking around with an espresso.” However, with this change, all of a sudden “teachers are walking around and [they] see students with coffee.” Junior Nelly Lopez agreed with the faculty by claiming, “at [age eleven], the only thing you should be drinking is chocolate milk, definitely not coffee.” This situation definitely forced the faculty to rethink the school rule for the upper grades because Mr. Tragert believes that, “if the older kids want coffee, [they’re] bringing it anyway.” This caused the school to officially give permission to seniors to buy coffee.

Many students still do not know that our café has an official name, Intermission. When asked the question, both juniors Agnes Lau and Nelly Lopez responded with, “No,” and “I know it has its own name but I’m not sure what it is.” Mr. Tragert mentions that the old café was named Deli Marché, “and probably around five people actually called it Deli Marché,” so this time around, when the café was named Intermission, the faculty didn’t expect everyone to use the name, but it does hold meaning. The name was “a nod to our new theater [because] in a play or performance, an intermission is the break.” Similarly, many students stop by there between classes, and therefore “[they] have an intermission at the café.”

Answers were quite mixed when asked about the new food quality and prices at the café. Freshman Anna Kong believes that the prices have “increased by a lot”—she claims that “last year you could live on 100RMB for one week but now, the weekly cost is, maybe, around 150RMB.” Not having a café at his old school, new student Sterling Seyedin finds the concept unique. Contradicting Kong’s statement, he believes he’s been spending “way less compared to [his] old school.” However, Kong and Seyedin as well as junior Nelly Lopez all mention that there is a good deal of variety in the food compared to before.  Sodexo is planning to expand their variety of food options with more upcoming changes, offering different types of sandwiches and bread as well as slushies and fresh-made juice. Referring to the complaints about the food in previous years, Mr. Tragert states, “we know that has been a problem in the past,” however, “we are passionate about giving a good dining experience.” He also mentions that, “[his] desire is for students to come up to [him] with any concerns or new ideas.”

Please feel free to share your thoughts about the Intermission Café with Mr. Tragert, or leave a comment below.