Moorestown Friends School, Moorestown, NJ
SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
2018-2019, Issue #1
WELCOME BACK, FOXES!
A New Chapter
Head of School Talks Transition, Upcoming Year In This Issue WHAT’S NEW?
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Maintence supervisor Larry Brandimarto tells WordsWorth what is new for the 2018-2019 school year. A FRESH COAT
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The hippo has a fresh coat of paint on it. Find out how it came to be.
SPORTS WordsWorth talks to two new coaches who joined Moorestown Friends School this season. Find out what the new soccer and field hockey coaches had to say. Page 2-3
BON APPÉTIT SAGE Dining is Moorestown Friends’ new food service provider. Learn how they plan to improve the school lunch experience. Page 4
By Serena Lin ’19, News & Blog Editor and Andrew Rowan ’19, Editor-in-Chief “I think we would be misled if we thought a new Head of School comes in and just shapes and changes the culture,” said incoming head of school Julia de la Torre. “I think it happens as a collaborative effort.” Some might say that Moorestown Friends is coming off a tumultuous 2017-2018 school year. There was vandalization of the middle school bathroom, offensive messages written in goodbye cards, money stolen from student organizations’ cash boxes, and the departure of a large number of faculty members. While some would like her to come in and address a variety of issues, de la Torre said she’s not rushing into anything just yet. Moorestown Friends is a school that she “deeply believes in,” but she emphasized taking time to become familiar with students and faculty. She sees the need to acknowledge that the previous school year “did not end in a way that felt good to people.” de la Torre believes that “students are the ones who create culture.” She hopes that students, in collaboration with faculty, will be able to “figure out how to move the school positively forward.” Her intention is to come in as “an eager learner... a ready participant… [and] a sensitive and empathizing listener.” The incoming head of school plans to get to know the community by simply talking with them. de la Torre has met with 40 of MFS’s 155 faculty members in one-on-one meetings. She plans to finish all of the individual conferences by December. Additionally, she and her husband have hosted a pool party and cookout at their oncampus home for faculties and their families, just one of the way she has begun to integrate into the community.
SPECIAL HELLO! Photo courtesy of @ClarksonMFS on Twitter
To all of the new foxes, welcome! The entire staff of the Upper School newspaper hopes you are enjoying your first week of school.
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For more reporting, visit our website at MFSWordsWorth.com
The de la Torre family held a backyard party for faculty and their families in late August. Of course, it isn’t until September that campus truly fills up. de la Torre anticipates getting a “sense for the pace of the school year and figuring out where people gather.” While she hopes that she can be “visible and accessible to people,” she recognizes that it may not be possible for everyone to speak openly to her. Disconnect from the school administration has been a student issue in the past and de la Torre sees the need to “be where [the students] are.” Previous head of school Larry Van Meter made himself accessible by hosting a hoagies with the head lunch with incoming students as well as graduating fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders. de la Torre plans to continue Mr. Van Meter’s tradition of having hoagies with the head for fourth and eighth graders, but plans to put her own twist on Mr. Van Meter’s senior meetings. As seen in her July 26 Adobe Spark post, de la Torre sees food as a way to connect with others. She plans to invite seniors to the Head’s house and cook something with her. There is the practical benefit to cooking—“I would like to teach you something that you can take with you.” These recipes would be both for normal recipes that can be made for families and mug recipes for in the dorm. She spoke of perhaps compiling a cookbook at the end of the year for the graduating seniors to bring with them when
Photo provided by Moorestown Friends School
de la Torre is the school’s first female Head of School. She said she is still in a place of figuring out what it means for her versus what it means for the community. they leave MFS. She also wants to take pictures and “capture this year for [the seniors].” de la Torre hopes that speaking to students while cooking can remove some of the pressure of speaking to someone in a position of authority. She wants to maintain an old tradition and try a new one. She hopes that she can break down “perceived barriers that keep people from really sharing that they want to share.” de la Torre also intends to use the Head’s office to create a welcoming atmosphere. Her office was designed with this in mind. She is aware that “space influences everything” and that it “reflects who [she is].” With the blinds open and the cabinets painted white, the Head’s office is a bright space. There are colorful accents throughout the office. She points out the intentionally multicultural and international themes of her office. de la Torre has displayed photos that she has taken on her travels, which represent “different parts of [de la Torre’s] identity.” de la Torre’s new position at Head of School has also given her husband an opportunity to open a furniture company, a dream of his.
Photo by Andrew Rowan ‘19 / Editor-in-Chief
The newly renovated head’s office features a natural wood table made by de la Torre’s husband, Patrick. Her husband made the centerpiece of her office: a long, natural wood table. de la Torre intends it to be symbolic of children in a school: “Every child is unique, every child has a story to tell. So having a unique table in the office is meant to reflect that every child in the school… is special to the community.” de la Torre believes that “good learning and… good leading happens when people feel comfortable.” This is reflected in the coffee and tea station in her office. Additionally, she has created a kid’s corner, which includes children’s toys and books. de la Torre has had puzzles custom made from pictures of MFS. Having highlighted the inclusivity of her office, she said, “Your head of school represents you, so you should feel welcome in
here.” de la Torre is the ninth Head of School in what is considered the “modern era” of the school (post-1920, after the school reconsolidated on one property), but she is the first female to hold the position.
Photo provided by Moorestown Friends School
de la Torre with her husband, Patrick, and their son, Evan, in front of the head’s residence. The family moved into the home in July. It’s something that de la Torre said she hadn’t really thought about because she’s been surrounded by female leaders all her life. Because her mother was a “trailblazer” in the field of medicine, de la Torre grew up “thinking that women broke barriers.” “I’m still in a place of trying to figure out what this means to the community versus what this means for me,” said de la Torre. For her personally, she said the position to lead a school she “deeply believes in” and “engage with a community you want your own child to be a part of” is something she has worked for her whole life.
She’ll consider the year to be a good one if the community has a sense for who she is and she has a sense of who the community is. For the community, de la Torre said she recognizes the excitement over the hiring of a female head of school. This is evident in the number of people who have stopped her on her way into work over the summer to speak to her about it. She said instances like those let her know that for some people this will be a “really important moment.” Continue reading on page 2...
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2 News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
MFSWordsWorth.com | @MFSWordsWorth | journalism@mfriends.org
Say Cheese!
A New Beginning for Fall Coaches
Schoolhouse Pictures Returns for a Second Year
Girls Varsity Field Hockey and Soccer Receive New Coaches By Serena Lin ’19, News & Blog Editor and Shelby Deibler ’20
By Andrew Rowan ’19, Editor-in-Chief Schoolhouse Pictures will return as Moorestown Friends School’s picture day company for its second year, school officials announced this summer. The company is known for its unique school portraits, featuring natural light and school buildings as a backdrop. Additionally, the company uses a modern ordering approach, where families get an access code and can review the photos prior to purchasing. Middle School Director Kimberly Clarkson said that the school received a significant amount of positive feedback about the quality and format of the pictures. She said at least one family reached out and said that they felt the photos were nice enough that they did not feel the need to go out and get portrait pictures as well. Though Schoolhouse Picture has higher prices for photos, Clarkson said most people realized the pictures were of a higher quality. She also said most people thought the packages offered were much more useful. Clarkson said the decision to partner with Schoolhouse Pictures for a second year was because everything went pretty smoothly. The company’s responsiveness, process for ordering, and photo session for parent IDs at the school picnics were highlights for the
school. Though there were some “internal hiccups,” Clarkson said it was nothing different than what they had experienced in the past. Parent and guardian volunteers assisted with students and photographers on the picture days. Clarkson said volunteers like being on campus at the beginning of the school year, so picture day was a nice way for them to be involved. Regarding some students’ dismay of the full body photo, Clarkson said she thought it was a “lack of awareness of the new format.” She said she can understand how some students may have had concerns about the full body photos, but believes everyone will be more familiar with the format in its second year. Additionally, Clarkson said while there has not been discussion about different poses depending on ages, the company is very open to making adjustments. School picture day for Upper School students is Tuesday, September 11. As for student identification cards, Clarkson said the goal is for the school to preview them before they go to press, but they will be “very similar.” Overall, Clarkson said the school was “really happy with the transition” and are looking forward to it not being the first year of such a different picture day process. “They are well organized and the pictures are really nice quality.”
de la Torre ready for the year ahead Continued from cover...
Only one third of independent schools are led by women, and she thinks it is great that children in the community will grow up seeing both female and male leaders at Moorestown Friends. “We are really lucky in this school to have an administrative team of people who are inspirational, capable, smart, thoughtful leaders,” said de la Torre. While division directors Kelly Banik, Kimberly Clarkson, and Meredith Godley are all women, de la Torre said she thinks it is great that Moorestown Friends picked the best people for the job. Regardless of gender, the head of school said that what she wants most is for students to find a trusted adult they can go to for inspiration, consultation, and support.
Photo by Andrew Rowan ‘19, Editor-in-Chief
The school message board displays a greeting for the new head of school. de la Torre assumed the position on July 1. Many students needed that support following many national news events during the 2017-2018 school year, including the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Following the tragedy, MFS students planned and organized a walk-out as part of a national movement against gun violence. de la Torre said she is a supporter of student activism because helping students find their voice in a way that will move the community forward is the “the point of education.” “What’s so great about a Friends school environment is that it is about individual growth but also about contributing towards a forward movement of a community,” she said. Regarding the political tension during
Meeting for Worship, de la Torre said she would like to see the culture, but hopes to maintain different spaces and mediums where students feel comfortable sharing their views. The Parkland massacre also surfaced questions about school security around the country. Moorestown Friends has hired an outside security firm, which is currently working on a security audit expected to be completed later this month. de la Torre said she looks forward to reviewing their findings, in addition to seeing the way people move around the school. She also has been discovering what the conversation about security at MFS has been like before her arrival. She said while every head in the National Association of Independent Schools has a slightly different view on school security, the
de la Torre said she would like to see the culture, but hopes to maintain different spaces and mediums where students feel comfortable sharing their views.
MFS fall sports returned this year with some coaching changes. Merisa Rudy has now assumed the role of Varsity Girls’ Soccer Coach. She began playing soccer when she was six years old. Her coaching career began when she was in high school; she assisted her dad with coaching a U8 team. Rudy attended Temple University to pursue a degree in athletic training. She decided in college that she wanted to be a coach. She enjoys “bringing out the best in [her] players in every aspect of the game and life.” Having coached both softball and soccer at various levels, Rudy has a variety of experience. Her best moment as a coach happened after a tournament with her girls’ soccer team. The first day of the tournament had gone badly, and her team could no longer win the tournament. The next day, Rudy’s players instead made it their mission to make her proud. The game tied, but it was “the best tie of [her] entire life” because it was “their best game as individuals and a team.” Afterwards, the team realized that it was their final game together. After Rudy’s traditional debrief and goodbye to her team, the players
position as the Assistant Varsity Field Hockey Coach. His experience coaching field hockey began about twenty years ago when he stepped up to fill a middle school coaching position. However, as his children grow up and he becomes more busy, his time as a field hockey coach comes to an end. He will continue as Head Coach of the girls’ varsity basketball team. With the departure of Mike Brunswick, former JV Coach Julie Rothwell has assumed the role of Assistant Varsity Field Hockey Coach. Julia
Applegate defines a successful game as one that features “teamwork until the very end.” Applegate ‘10 was selected to become the new JV coach. She previously coached middle school field hockey. Applegate is currently the Assistant Director of Community Outreach, a new role that was created to boost enrollment. Her role within
the administration is to work with community ambassadors to bring interest to the school. Applegate is an alumni of MFS field hockey, having played under Coach Danielle Dayton. One of her best moments as a player is winning the Fall 2007 Friends League Championship. After graduating MFS in 2010, she played field hockey at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. As someone with experience as a player in the same school and under the same coach, Applegate brings in a unique perspective as the JV coach. She is already familiar with the values that Coach Dayton instills in her players. Applegate describes Dayton as a “leader in [Applegate’s] life.” As a coach, she defines a successful game as one that features “teamwork until the very end.” She wants every player to play the best they are able to and put their best effort forward. As for a successful practice, she defines one during which players “push themselves.” Applegate values the sense of community that can be found within sports. A team is an opportunity to “be a part of something important.”
Illustration by Aaron Klein ‘20 / Multimedia Editor & Fox Tracks Executive Producer
Summer Building Hip Hip, Hippo! Long Standing Tradition of Seniors Improvements Painting The Hippo Continues
From The Desk of Physical Facilities Manager Larry Brandimarto...
SUMMER NEWS
By Liz Huettl ’19 Entertainment Editor
The maintenance crew has been hard at work improving the school this summer. Here are some of the most notable updates and upgrades: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Renovated back part of the cafeteria Installed eight new fire doors in Middle/High school Installed missing exterior roof slate on West building roof Repaired and repainted all tennis courts Installed three new rooftop heating and air-conditioning units for the field house area Installed eight new SmartBoards in classrooms and offices Installed a new steam pipe header on the steam boiler for the high school Installed LED light bulbs in the Fieldhouse gym, All exterior trees on both campuses trimmed and any dead branches removed Installed new light bulbs on the exterior parking lot lights Upgraded some exterior lighting to LED lighting Resealed Bayada and West Building gym floors Painted all the classrooms, offices etc. on both campuses. New phone system installed New desk for Ms. Medina
WordsWorth 2018-2019 EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Andrew Rowan COPY CHIEF, FEATURES EDITOR & OPINION EDITOR - Ali Chesnick BLOG EDITOR AND NEWS EDITOR- Serena Lin PRINT EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR - Esha Nitoor
goal is for students not to have fear. In ten months, when the new head of school finishes her first year in the position, she said she’ll consider the year to be a good one if the community has a sense of who she is and she has a sense of who the community is. de la Torre admits it’s an intangible measurement, but said if there’s trust between her and the community, any topic can be tackled. de la Torre said it’s important to her that students feel like their head of school cares about them and they don’t view her as just a position they never see. For the senior class, she said she would feel really good if she had something to say about each student as she hands them their diploma on graduation day. “My real goal this year is to just feel known and for you to feel like you are known by me at every grade.”
remained in a huddle around her. They told her that they didn’t want to leave just yet, because if they left, “everything they had worked so hard for wouldn’t continue to be there every week in their lives.” Rudy hopes the MFS girls’ soccer team will be more possession based this year. One of the changes she is also bringing to the team is the addition of a fourth, non-senior captain. It is a part of her “continuous planning ahead.” She wants to make sure that when the seniors leave next year, someone with at least one year of experience in the leadership position can fill their shoes. The varsity girls’ soccer team captains this year are Micaela Coll, Meghan Roberts, Courtney Tarter, and Bella Runyan. At the end of the season, Rudy wants her players to feel proud to wear the jersey. A successful season would be “one where they feel more confident as young players and humans by the end.” Rudy says, “We may not win all of those games, but success is always more than just an outcome.” Mike Brunswick is stepping down from his
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR/FOX TRACKS PRODUCER - Aaron Klein SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR, NEWS DISTRIBUTION MANAGER, SPORTS EDITOR - Andrew Shah ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR - Lizzie Huettl PODCAST PRODUCER - Shelby Deibler ADVISOR Diana Day ADVISOR Debra Galler
Photo courtesy Shelby Deibler
Henry Powell ‘20, Jessica Cerasaro ‘20, Shelby Deibler, ‘20, and John Trunkwalter in front of their project. The Satellite and Education conference took place in Los Angeles, California, in July.
Photo courtesy of Echo Yan
The hippo just minutes after the “Alice in Wonderland” theme was painted by the senior class. Moorestown Friends School’s class of 2019 has recently completed painting the lower school hippo. This tradition has been running for years: incoming seniors must choose a theme to paint on the hippo which will remain for the entire school year. This year, the prevailing theme is Alice in Wonderland. The design replaces the class of 2019’s tribute to the class of 2018 which was painted last spring. The tribute included a depiction of the balloons from Winnie the Pooh, and every logo from the graduating class’s colleges was featured within a different balloon in full color. Now seniors, the class of 2019 has put the same effort into the hippo design for their last year. Echo Yan is one of the senior designers and painters on the project. She gave WordsWorth an inside look into the intensive, collaborative process of creating the project. Painting such detailed artwork takes more than a fun idea and a few paint brushes. When asked about creating the concept, she confessed that “coming up with the concept was difficult.” She said the class had a poll, but none of the designers were set on any of the top themes. It came down to what was thought to be more “kid-friendly” because the hippo will be viewed by students from preschool through grade 12. This
year’s seniors are clearly conscious of that. The theme “Alice in Wonderland” was settled upon. Yan also mentions other important factors to always consider when delving into any artistic project: time and materials. “It only took three days, and that’s a short time if you think about it”. The fast coordination was done through a collaborative team of multiple class officers, art scholars, and many others. The group was also lucky enough to use high-quality materials, Yan says. She discloses that they “used water-based paint, primary colors to create any other color needed. The base coat was done in purple”. The handy group mixed colors, outlined the drawings, and filled everything in despite weather conditions within the three-day span. The seniors had a deadline of Monday, September 3, to finish painting as it needed to be dry for the school picnic. It is a testament to how proud the seniors are of their work when Yan declares that “this is probably the best design we could have done. I hope everyone likes it, especially little kids.” As we move into the 2018-2019 school year, all ages can stop and marvel at the seniors’ proud MFS tradition on display. Share your hippo photos with us by sending a tweet to @MFSWordsWorth
A Summer Project Unlike The Rest
Four Students Travel To California To Compete In Science Conference. By Shelby Deibler ’20, Podcast Producer Editor’s Note: The author of this story attended the conference. Three Upper School students traveled to Los Angeles, California for the five day Satellite and Education Conference on July 17-21. The conference, which is called MYSPACE (Multinational Youth Studying Practical Applications of Climate Events), is hosted by the Satellite Educators Association and held at California State University Los Angeles. Jess Cerasaro ‘20, Shelby Deibler ‘20, and Henry Powell ‘20 represented MFS during the week long study of this year’s topic, urban heat islands. The group’s research began during the second and third quarters as a SEE project, but with the guidance of Mr. Newman and Mr. Trunkwalter, their project was turned into a serious, local study on how athletic turf fields contribute to the urban heat island effect. As Jess Cerasaro ‘20 explains, “MYSPACE was such a great experience. It was so cool to see our SEE project research turned into an actual study on Urban Heat Islands. I really liked the way we were able to collaborate with students from
across the globe. My favorite part was definitely touring the Jet Propulsion Lab and sightseeing in LA!” The conference not only allowed the students to meet with kids from around the world researching the same topic, but gave them a chance to collaborate with them to create a larger, unified project at the end of the week. Advisor John Trunkwalter said that “MFS student’s participation in the 2018 MYSPACE program consisted of a long week of hard work, which included honing their collaboration, communication, and leadership skills. They also managed to fit in some down time with a guided tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).” This tour provided the unique opportunity to engage with scientists and engineers directly involved in our research missions to Mars, Jupiter, Europa, Pluto, and many other missions. Visiting places like the JPL and Cal State with students from across the globe made this trip a unique experience for the MFS team.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
MFSWordsWorth.com | @MFSWordsWorth | journalism@mfriends.org
Bon Appétit
SAGE Dining Will Transform The Way You Think About School Lunch By Andrew Rowan ’19, Editor-in-Chief SAGE Dining doesn’t have the word cafeteria in its vocabulary, said Moorestown Friends SAGE Dining Manager Jessica O’Donnell. It’s café or servrey, she said. “We’re trying to be inviting and make it a nice place.” After a long standing, 25-year relationship with MFS’s previous food service provider, Healthy Foods by Choice, SAGE Dining brings a different approach to the stereotypical school lunch. THE SPACE It’s not just the food that’s different; SAGE Dining also made physical changes to the dining hall space. Different serving stations were added, overhead heat lamps, a new floating soup and salad bar, and an open air cooler were all installed.
school year, but thinks the lines will ease as the community discovers the different offerings. O’Donnell said she may have found some of the old decorations in the closet from Healthy Foods by Choice: “It was a little frightening. It kind of reminded me of my Grandma’s house.” She said different SAGE artwork and infographics were added around the space instead to give it a nicer café feel. The snack bar in the back corner of the space was also converted into an office for the dining staff. DEFINITIONS The company uses different terminology when it comes to different aspects of the cafe, traffic flow, and nutrition. Main Ingredient - The station that houses the main meal for that day. It’s a complete meal in different styles like Mediterranean, Italian, Asian, and more. O’Donnell will be cooking. Transit Fare - Grab-and-go, packaged food displayed in an open-air cooler. It could be compared to the middle cooler in Wawa. Though sandwiches and salads are packaged, they’re still made from scratch. SAGE Dining makes all of its food from scratch. There will be no madeto-order sandwich counter, but the company will take suggestions on what sandwiches to put in the cooler. Cross Roads - Food truck-style food such as fries, chicken fingers, and cheesesteaks. This counter will be available every other day, switching with the Manja Manja station.
Photo by Andrew Rowan ‘19, Editor-in-Chief
SAGE Dining has their standards posted on a canvas outside of the entrance to the dining area. These changes were made after working with the school to better the traffic flow in the room, said SAGE Northeast Region Area Manager Tom Ankner. “It’s more of mall food court kind of feel,” said SAGE district manager Charlie Bunin. You’re able to walk around and graze and try everything that we’re doing here.” He said instead of students just seeing one thing on the menu, they’ll be presented with several options. SAGE hopes this set-up will allow for less wait times, a major issue students had with Healthy Foods by Choice. Bunin said there may be lines at the beginning of the
Manja Manja Station - Pizza and Italian station. O’Donnel said that pizza will be available every other day, and every time there will be a glutenfree pizza available as well. Along with pizza, an Italian dish such as a ziti or rice dish will be available. Batch Cooking - “The food is made fresh all the time,” said Bunin. “You might be waiting a little bit, but when we start getting to understand the environment, we will be able to cook a little faster.” O’Donnell said that Upper School students don’t want the same food that was made before the lower school students came in, so her team will be cooking new batches of food throughout the day. She said the restocking process will get faster as the company sees what stations each school likes best. SAGE does not serve anything in steamwells or serve with ice cream scoopers, said O’Donnell and Bunin, who are both chefs. “We want to express what we made and what it looks like for the customer to come and see,”
Photo courtesy of @mfsfox on Twitter
SAGE staffers serve faculty lunch during orientation on August 29. Out of seven staff members, four of them are returning from the 2018-2019 school year. said Bunin, who also added the food will be served in vessels that are more appealing. SAGE Performance Spotlight - “It’s a menu program that is beneficial for those that are involved in sports,” said O’Donnell, who continued that the company will work into that program further into the school year. STAFFING The SAGE Dining staff at MFS has seven members, four of whom are returning from the 2017-2018 school year to work as cashiers: Andrea Ohanian, Mary Ellen Murray, Kelly Weber, and Charlene Koch. O’Donnell said she hopes that the relationships between the community and the staff in the Dining Hall will continue to be strong. “It’s a nice mix,” said O’Donnell. “We have some people that are familiar with the company and some women that are familiar with the school.” Though O’Donnell is the manager, she also is the chef. Before joining SAGE and coming to MFS, she worked at Good Dog, a scratch cooking restaurant in Philadelphia. She was also on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Bunin said O’Donnell was the type of person they wanted for the position, because she hasn’t been in the school food system and brings fresh ideas to school lunch. “We took her in and tried to mold her ideas at what she did at the restaurant and cafe into our cafe.” “I don’t come into this with any sort of corporate or mass production mentality,” said O’Donnell. She was excited to find SAGE Dining because the company will allow her to still cook high-quality food from scratch, but with more family-friendly hours than a restaurant chef. O’Donnell has a six-year-old son [sq] at home.
Feedback & Technology Since everything is made from scratch, the café will have a touchpad that will allow you to filter out allergens from the day’s menu. The feature, which is also available on the SAGE mobile app and online menu, clearly shows people with allergies what they are allowed to have. The menu rotates on a four week schedule, and O’Donnell said after the first few weeks she can make adjustments as needed: “If you’re not digging what’s on the menu, I’ll change it.” She said putting together the first month’s menu was sort of like “shooting a dart in the dark” as she tried to guess what students like. There are a variety of ways to give feedback on SAGE, a testament to the fact that the company wants to hear your feedback, said Bunin. Students can leave comments on a feedback board to the left of the dish return, stop in and see O’Donnell, or send notes via the SAGE Dining mobile app, which will be replied to within 24 hours, Bunin said. Education SAGE doesn’t want the cafe to be simply the place to get food, they also want to educate. Every day, a “Near To Here” board will display where the produce in the day’s lunch came from. Everything is fresh and sourced locally, O’Donnell said. The company plans to host educational sessions during lunch. Bunin said they might display a raw chicken and explain where the edible parts are. Another example might show how the pilgrims may have cooked the first Thanksgiving food with what they had available to them. Lastly, SAGE wants to work with the school to find students interested in culinary or food service and possibly host workshops or events. “The bottom line is food is fun. That’s why I got into this business. It’s fun and it’s interesting,” said O’Donnell.