Newspapers often criticize the decisions and actions of administrative and governmental bodies. It’s what they do. However, an improvement to the daily middle school experience of students has been made, and this must not go by unnoticed.

Beginning in July, district technicians worked to prepare the food services for the installation of the new food court. Bedford and district administrators, maintenance and custodial staff, and the Westport fire marshall all came together in numerous meetings to form and alter the cafeteria setup and blueprint with regard to the number of students at BMS, and decide how practical the changes are and what needed to get done to prepare for them.

Other than the physical cafeteria improvements, the changes brought other benefits to BMS lunches. Because we no longer have to follow the guidelines of the federal school lunch program, we are now able to expand the number of options offered. This helps meet the needs of the many Bedford students with allergies and dietary limitations.

But while we must give the thanks due to the BMS institution for their part in the cafeteria modifications, the changes themselves, such as the new wooden barriers and lunch menu expansions, were actually proposed and installed by Chartwells, a company that provides lunch for many schools, including Bedford.

In the middle of August, a truck brought in the food court from North Carolina, and installed it a week before school began. The money needed to make this happen was also granted by the same enterprise, and not from the BMS budget, allowing us the luxury of a better lunch experience, without cutting into the school budget.

In such a limited time, it was crucial for the many people to work together and collaborate. It was a big commitment on the part of all those who contributed, and for this we thank you.