Brian M. Stack's School Leadership Blog

For anyone in their 30s or older, it comes as no surprise that over the past two decades, America’s palate has evolved and diversified. Tuna casserole and meatloaf dinners have been replaced with meals that have much bolder flavors influenced by many ethnic backgrounds. This CNBC article from 2017 that discussed this trend came to this conclusion about how and why this evolution has occurred: “The changing culinary landscape is the result of increased social media and television coverage that expand consumer awareness, and millennial eaters who are more adventurous and experimental with their food choices.” As you might expect, the changing palate for adults also means a new palate for kids, and that has had a big impact on school lunch programs from coast to coast. Recently, I brought an old friend from high school who hasn’t stepped foot in a school since we graduated twenty years ago through the school lunch line in the New Hampshire high school where I am the principal. S

The latest craze with my New Hampshire high school teachers is to supplement, or in some cases replace their institutional, inflexible classroom furniture with more student-friendly options. In a school with a very tiny furniture budget, my staff has accomplished this task by soliciting donations, applying for grants, and in some cases, building their own furniture. A walk through the few re-imagined spaces that we have completed thus far is reminiscent of a trip through a trendy Ikea showroom. Many of the individual student desks have been replaced with tables on wheels that can be reconfigured as needed by students, comfortable reading chairs and lounges, and even carpeted corners with bean bags and pillows. Two of my ninth grade math teachers actually purchased white board paint at the local hardware store to coat their tabletops so that students could work through their math problems right at their collaborative tables with colorful dry-erase markers. The local Chief of Police