Bring back dining please

<p>Mercersburg students eat with faculty at assigned tables (rotation every two weeks) for every school day lunch and three dinners. Monday dinners are formal. It’s a big plus, but not because I expect them to teach table manners, and my daughter declares that some kids have appalling manners. But the formal dinners teach kids how to be at ease in formal situations (not fidget with ties, wear uncomfortable shoes). The lunches get everyone together for a break in their day as a communal sort of thing. It also allows the faculty to check “wellness” issues. After formal dinners the kids usually hang out in the student center. It looks like a cocktail party sans cocktails. This is a social situation skill that isn’t possible for me to replicate at home. </p>