Hole in the…heart of Mustang snack shop tradition

Tradition is something we value greatly here at Millard North. From our Hard Hat to our Junior-Senior chant, it’s evident all throughout our school. It’s who we are. It’s what we do. It’s our quirks and it’s what makes us special. Should we be letting people take this away from us?

In September of this school year the MPS Director of Food Service Justin Wiley approached Principal Brian Begley about having a contest to re-name the snack shop. Begley saw this as a fun and engaging opportunity for students and approved it.

Student Council controlled the process and allowed students to suggest a new name that they would like the snack shop to have. Then they put the top three names in a poll online that students and staff could log in and vote on.

“The basic premise is for updating the look of the space and branding it more specific to the school,” Wiley said, “The idea of the naming competition was to gain involvement and feedback so the student body could help make it more personal to Millard North.”

But will this new name really be more “personal” to Millard North? How much more personal does it get than a name like the “Hole in the Wall?”

When the snack shop opened in 1999, after a renovation of the cafeteria, the little nook took on the name “Hole in the Wall” because of its setup, and this name has stuck for over 15 years. Why would we take away this personal touch to our school?
As said before: tradition is a big part of MN. We the students named this snack shop at the turn of the century, and we the students want that tradition of calling the snack shop by its original name to remain.

The name that was voted in from the options was the “Mustang Express.” The “Mustang Express?” How much more generic can we get? If we wanted personal, we got cliché. If we wanted unique, we got ordinary.

Yet not only is it a loss in this way, but the redecorating which will take place over winter break is a waste of district resources. Should we really be spending more money to redecorate a space which currently looks just fine?

Although the idea for the renaming and redecorating was valid and creative, according to our survey of 55 students it is not what the majority of students want or thought necessary. This simply goes to prove the well known point that it is hard for people on the outside to understand what is wanted by the people on the inside.

Our dear snack shop will be changed from a place defined by its personal legacy to a cliché convenience store that could be found anywhere.