Extending Time

by Rhett Armentrout, Graham Roulston, & Julien Steines

The aroma of bacon and eggs fills the cafeteria as students leisurely browse through the options. Options range from hashbrowns to parfaits, and from cookies to burritos. At MRGS, both extended break and break in general give us a small break from our busy worlds.

What Extended Break is:

The normal break time between classes is 10 minutes, on Monday through Thursday. However, on Friday we have a break 3 times as long in the cafeteria, catered by the culinary arts class. They make hash browns, bacon, donuts, among other rotating menu items. Most people seem to enjoy the hashbrowns the most, followed by the donuts.

What happens at extended break:

Extended break is a great time to just unwind and relax. Research is very draining and sometimes we just need a break. Basically, we just sit around and talk. However, there's always something interesting going on. From someone breaking a plate to a school-wide singing of Happy Birthday.

Where is the extended break going and what we’ll miss most:

All good things must come to an end. For the 2023 to 2024 school year, MRGS is moving to Mountain View High School to give Triplett Tech more room. One of the things that we’ll be leaving behind is extended break. It’ll be tough to let go of something we all love so much.

We’ll miss the food, but we’ll miss the experiences the most.

Even MRGS graduates remember extended break years later. In fact, it is one of the fondest memories that MRGS alumni hold. One former student, graduated in 2012, is quoted saying: “Honestly, some of my best memories are taking a break from research and getting breakfast from the culinary arts program on Fridays (do they still do that??).” See the “MRGS Alumni: Where Are They Now?” post for more information and interviews.

Maybe the real extended break was the friends we made along the way.