On a recent winter morning, the Birch Dining Hall was bustling with activity. Students were filling their plates with scrambled eggs, muffins, and sausage. They were queuing up at the toaster, gulping down glasses of milk, and putting pieces of fruit in their pockets.
There was a sense of morning urgency—eat, eat, eat, then hurry off to class. For some, lunch would not come around for another five long hours.
This extended interval between meals is one thing that’s about to change. When students return from break, Birch Dining Commons will no longer be open just for mealtimes. Instead, the dining hall will be open throughout the academic day, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will have snacks available to all comers.
There’s nothing like the experience of a live audition—part improvisation, part performance, and all nerves. And when the auditions are for places in district ensembles, competing against music students from four counties, the stakes are even higher.
