Students have always enjoyed eating in teachers’ rooms, counselor offices, or in the commons area in the school. Now there is another safe seating option with other people to talk to. Room 108 is a space for students to go during lunch when they need a quiet, safe place while they eat, or do other work. The school counselors created the space and there is always a member of the counseling team monitoring the room.

“In past years, this has been in other conference rooms in the building, however, we are thrilled to have a consistent and welcoming space available in room 108 this school year,” counselor Andrea Tobis said. 

With 2,000 students at this school, numbers may fluctuate on how many students show up to room 108 daily. 

“The students vary from day to day, but anywhere from 2-10 students often visit each lunch period,” Tobis said.  “Some students find this to be their favorite place to spend their lunch hour and come every day, other students will stop in occasionally when they are having a difficult day or just want a break from the loud atmosphere of the cafeteria.”

People like to study, do schoolwork, and catch up on stuff while eating in the cafeteria. Is it also the same in room 108?

 “Absolutely! Some students use this space to work on homework while they eat, to take a break from the day, draw or journal, or to chat quietly with a friend,” Tobis said.

This space isn’t just for lunch; it also has other uses.

“Students utilize this space to eat lunch, of course, but they are also able to use their time how they please – on their phones, doing homework, studying for a test, etc,” counselor Kathryn Keszei said. 

Continuing to provide this for students is a great way for people to feel safer at school, make new friends, take a break from a long day, etc. 

If you have never seen room 108 gone here, this could be a chance for you to branch out and go here for a lunch period since it will be available for the rest of the year. 

“We plan on providing this space for as long as we can and hope to continue providing this space for years to come!” Keszei said.