After a prolonged absence of many Branson students’ favorite breakfast, the beloved muffins have made their return to the commons, thanks to the new cleanup process. Although now only served on Wednesdays, the scent of the treats wafting through the commons is back, and the students and staff are ecstatic.
From oatmeal and granola, to fruit, to the muffins, the breakfast selection is something that makes Branson special. While it may seem minor, the absence of the adored muffins changed the feel of mornings at Branson.
“I used to skip breakfast everyday, and come to school a little early just to have the muffins,” Jase Butler ‘24 said. “I took them for granted. It was one of the little things that Branson does so well that separated it from every other school around. It was a subtle reminder of the privilege it is to come to Branson everyday.”
The senior senate noticed this trend and took action. Not only did they help bring the muffins back, they helped address the issue of commons cleanup. Working with Director of College Counseling Matt Lane and senior class presidents Charlie Zwibelman and Logan Tusher, they helped design the new commons cleanup reward system.
“We’ve been having issues with cleaning the commons after lunch for years,” Tusher said. “If we, as a school, get a certain amount of days cleaning the commons in a row, we earn a certain reward. Matt Lane judges everyday and gives an honest review whether we earned another day to the count or not.”
The system has shown glimmers of hope. Zwibelman spoke to the impact of a collective vision in hopes of receiving rewards while simultaneously helping out the staff with cleanup.
“David Hanson and [Whitney] Livermore were a big help designing our new system,” he said. “We wanted to create a way to make it interactive for the students and incentivize them with rewards. The new system builds consistency, togetherness and, most importantly, it is rewarding for everyone in the community.”
With the new system in place, we’ve already seen major improvements in the commons after lunch. Within the first month of its initiation, we achieved 10 straight days of keeping the commons clean, warranting the much anticipated return of muffins in the morning.
“When I walked into the commons the first day they returned and saw the crowd surrounding the muffins, a wave of surprise and excitement rushed over me,” Butler said. “It made me want to continue our streak so we could get even bigger rewards, like the ice cream machine if we get to 200 days.”
While the system so far has had considerable success and has earned us the returning reign of morning muffins, there has been a subtle decline in consistent motivation to reach greater rewards for days in a row.
“There is still work to be done,” Tusher said. “In order to help out the staff cleaning up, we have to find ways to keep students motivated to clean up everyday. Whether it is making the rewards more attainable or improving the rewards themselves, this new system is showing some promise and if we can keep it up real changes will be made in the commons.”
