A Fresh Take On Lunch
Lunchroom and Layout: Mishawaka High School Cafeteria Remodel
By: William Gaskill
Mishawaka High School began a reinvention of its cafeteria for the 2026-2027 school year, working with PH Design to modernize the space for students.
This project aims to create a more inviting environment where students can eat, gather, and interact with one another.
Staff intend to be completely finished with the remodel after Christmas break. Certain renovations had already been made over Fall break.
Chad Brugh, principal at Mishawaka High School said, “The first thing that they did was the painting and that was over fall break so they came in and did some painting of the walls and then the next phase will be done over Christmas break. So they're going to do all the work when students aren't here so that it doesn't interfere with anything going on at school.”The project, however, comes with a challenge: the cafeteria’s murals have become a beloved part of the school’s identity, and administrators wish to preserve that history while still moving forward. Designers are working to weave the iconic artwork into the new layout.
“I was really glad to see that we could take the old look of our cafeteria and incorporate that into the new look which was to take the artwork and put it into the new artwork,” said Brugh.
Redesigns for other parts of the school—such as the locker rooms, Steele Stadium, and roof—are expected to happen soon. Improvements on the roof have already started to take place.
“So the Mishawaka Education Foundation is raising money for us to have some of our locker rooms out there fixed. A lot of them aren't really up to par when it comes to ventilation and things like that for our football and cross-country,” Brugh added.
The renovation will include new decor, increased capacity of the cafeteria (384+), booths, rally tables, and charging stations for students’ Chromebooks.
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