Room 359B has become “infamously known by Millennium Brooklyn students as the room that no one is allowed in,” according to senior, Jeremy Polidura. During lunchtime, kids who arrived to school late or want to work on homework often have trouble finding somewhere to stay, as the cafeteria is often loud and dirty, and the library is full of kids from other schools.

The Academic Resource Center, which has been dubbed the “student lounge” or the “student rec room,” seems like a good place to go. However, the teachers who often work in the room, including Mr. Faughnan, Ms. McElveen, Mrs. Gibbons and Ms. Fortier have made it very clear that there will are rules to abide by for students wanting to spend their lunchtime in the room.

Mr. Faughnan has set up a system in which 10 students can sign up in advance to gain entry to the room during lunch hours. This has been established because “there needs to be a manageable number of students in the room to allow others to independently complete academic work,” according to Mr. Faughnan, the internship coordinator. Mr. Faughnan’s hope is that over time, if the system works, more students can be added to the room. For many students, such as junior Sarah Sahrane, this is exciting news because the Academic Resource Center is an enjoyable place to spend lunch as it is “quiet and a good area for everyone to be able to do their own thing.”

The rule remains that only 10 people can gain entry into the room. Moving forward, if the kids that have access to the room for the day are on their best behavior, more students may be allowed to spend their lunch hours remaining quiet in the room.