Glenville-Emmons High School students were treated on the first day of school to a new cafeteria.

Around 11:10 a.m., the first student to use the new serving line was senior Jenna Montgomery. She said the first thing she noticed when she entered the cafeteria was how bright the cafeteria now looks.

“I think it’s really cool,” she said.

Even staff members had to adjust to the new cafeteria, and some students looked a bit confused by the new setup as they failed to spot the dessert stand.

A schoolwide announcement around 11 a.m. told students to be patient because of the changes in the cafeteria.

Glenville-Emmons High School was selected early this year from 19 schools to receive a revamped cafeteria through the Minnesota School Nutrition Association and Owatonna-based Learning ZoneXpress.

The goal of the project is to show school districts the possibilities of a revamped cafeteria that also links education and the lunch room.

“It’s looks so nice in here,” said Londa Arnfelt, a saleswoman with Learning ZoneXpress when she walked into the new cafeteria.

Arnfelt’s main duty during the project was getting the visuals prepared and displayed in the cafeteria. She worked with students to determine what kinds to put up. Many of the posters are meant to be quick, visual messages with few words.

Senior Elliott Peterson said the new serving line and cafeteria was a bit confusing to get through on the first day.

One Learning ZoneXpress poster had slices of fruits and vegetables like oranges and tomatoes sliced into weights that stressed building muscles.

Another poster mentioned beauty secrets and had makeup items with slices of fruits and vegetables as the makeup. A poster called “Up North” is of a moose and scenery made entirely of vegetables.

A few of the pictures are mounted to the wall in snap frames. These frames snap open, and other posters are stored behind the visible poster. This makes it easy for school staff to store and change posters.

“It’s just a total transformation. … It’s like night and day. It’s been so neat to see the progression of it and then the final project. It’s just wonderful,” Arnfelt said.

Superintendent Mark Roubinek said he hopes the project will provide students develop positive eating habits.

The school will try two healthy items each month to see how the students respond to the healthy dishes.

Roubinek said his favorite part of the cafeteria was the new tables, which he said are easier to get in and out of. The old tables were black and brown with bench seats.

The new tables are tan with black individual stools.

Many students commented on how much brighter the cafeteria is. The wider walls are painted a light gray and the narrower walls are painted a color called dill-pickle green.

The wood tiling has been replaced with a cream-colored flooring with green and blue tiles mixed in. A row of blue tiles lines the outside of the floor.

Learning ZoneXpress President Melanie Nelson said she hopes the experience in Glenville will inspire other schools to make similar changes.

Not only was this experience good for the school, she said it brought the community together in making the renovations possible.

“This just inspires people to make healthier choices,” she said.

While the kitchen remains largely unchanged, the cooks wore new uniforms, but there were some kinks as they adjusted to the new cafeteria. Shortly before 11 a.m., they realized they were missing trays to hold the food in the serving line.

“The kids come in and their eyes just light up. It’s bright. It’s cheerful. That’s what you want,” said cook Linda Vanek.

Linda Minear, head cook, said she walks in the cafeteria and smiles.

As for the funding of the project, the contest provided $40,000 to $50,000 of equipment and resources. The district contributed about $10,000, and about $12,000 more came through fundraising, Roubinek said.

More than 10 local businesses contributed to the project. The school paid for much of cost of the materials and some businesses donated their labor on the project.

A video crew filmed the lunch room near the end of the 2008-09 school year, and that crew will return on Friday to film the new cafeteria.

Learning ZoneXpress is producing the video, but all the groups involved in the makeover have worked to fund the video. Other groups involved include Duke Manufacturing, which is funding the serving line; inTEAM Associates, which is hosting a two-day consultation on a critical function like food safety or staff training; Brandaids, which will provide staff uniforms embroidered with the school logo; and Cambro will provide new lunch trays and other serving products.

The school will host an open house Friday from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The event is open to the public and representatives from the MSNA and Learning ZoneXpress and the other sponsors of the project will attend.

After a grand opening ceremony, a meal of pork, sweet corn, apple crisp, punch, cake and ice cream will be served for $7. That money will be used for the new awning over the new concession area being built across from the gym. Concessions used to be sold in the cafeteria.