Quad Dining Halls Come to the Rescue

Last week, students walking around Currier and Pforzheimer Houses found themselves surrounded by a new crowd—the preteen set—and were perhaps left thinking they had accidentally entered a time warp back to middle school.

Last Wednesday morning, an electrical fire at the Graham and Parks Alternative Public School, located across Walker Street from the Quad, rendered its students unable to enter the building for the day.

So Currier and Pforzheimer opened their doors to the 400 stranded students, who ranged from kindergarten to eighth grade. The students were bused later that afternoon to another local school to finish out their day.

According to Patricia G. Pepper, the assistant to the Currier House masters, Currier was the perfect House to take in these students due to its large “fishbowl” room and its many television-equipped common rooms.

“We split the classes up by age—kindergarten through fourth grade went in the fishbowl and the older kids went into some of the small common rooms with TVs,” Pepper said, “The two oldest classes, seventh and eight grade, went over to Pforzheimer House.”

Pepper said the students were well-behaved guests.

“They were amazing, they listened to all their teachers and everybody was respectful,” Pepper said.

Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) stepped in as well, feeding the students an impromptu lunch from food stored its kitchens.

“Our Dining Services is amazing, they got out popcorn chicken and tater tots and milk and juice and apples and brownies for all the kids that were here,” Pepper said.

HUDS Director for Marketing and Communications Crista Martin said that while HUDS does not have a formal policy to address such situations, it does “all kinds of things in the neighborhood, and so we were just glad to be able to help them out.”

According to Martin, students’ parents have sent e-mails to HUDS to express their gratitude—and HUDS was happy to play host to the youngsters.

“I’m just glad that they were able to be there,” Martin said.

—Staff writer Margot E. Edelman can be reached at medelman@fas.harvard.edu.