Manual opened its new salad bar for student use during all lunch periods last week, following approval from JCPS Nutrition Services.

The school got the salad bar as part of a district pilot experiment. Last April, Atherton High School was the first to test the viability of offering a salad bar option to students.

Students who wish to purchase salad should go through serving line two and fill up their trays as they normally would.

The salad bar takes the place of a student’s entree and vegetable side, and one can also order fruit, a roll and a drink for the same price as a regular school lunch. Students who wish to purchase both a lunch entree and something from the salad bar can do so for additional cost.

Principal Mr. Jerry Mayes isn’t yet certain how much students will enjoy the new lunch option, but he hopes that it will open the door for similar reforms in the future.

“I think it’s a great idea. The cafeteria staff is always looking to find better ways to take care of the nutritional needs of our students,” he said. “A lot of our students want to eat healthier.”

Cafeteria Manager Leanne Buehner said that the total cost of the salad bar to the school is still unknown.

“We are still getting our items in, and haven’t gotten the total yet,” she said. “This is still a pilot program, so we’re not sure if this is going to be something we keep due to the financial aspect.”