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Healthy Community
Food is an important part of day-to-day life at Lawrenceville. One thing that makes Lawrenceville unique is our approach to Dining; the whole community eats at the same time - removing scheduling conflicts and ensuring the opportunity to bring everyone together for positive interaction. It's not just about refueling, but also sharing stories about our days, talking through problems, or just sitting down to relax and enjoy each other's company.
In the fall of 2004, the Lawrenceville School launched its Green Campus Initiative, a holistic approach to campus sustainability. The Initiative focuses on campus energy, materials, land, and water use by applying methods that promote ecological literacy, sustainability education, and involving the broader community outside of the School. Lawrenceville’s aim is to become a leader that will inspire and guide other educational institutions toward sustainability.
Dining Services is a key element of the Initiative. During the past two years, students have been served meals that are not only healthy and delicious, but are also prepared in a manner that contributes to the conservation of our ecosystem.
Lawrenceville’s Executive Chef Gary Giberson has spearheaded several initiatives to “green” dining services including increasing the purchase of locally grown food (even some grown on campus) to reduce the School’s overall ecological footprint, contribute to the local economy, support local farmers, and bring students closer to their food sources to provide a unique and valuable educational experience. Giberson is also working to reduce trans fatty acids, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives in food provided to students.
Dining Facilities
Irwin Dining Center
Second-, third-, and fourth-form students eat in the Irwin Dining Center, where each residential House has its own dining area. This community space with large windows and hexagonal pods has an airy, relaxing feel and occupies the same building as the school store and post office.
Abbot Dining Room
The fifth form eats in the Abbott Dining Room of the Upper House. This beautiful, open space - decorated with traditional Lawrenceville touches like house flags and memorabilia - was remodeled in 2018 and includes meeting rooms and an outdoor seating area.
The Bath House
The Bath House is a small cafe that is accessible to the community all day. A lovely glass seating area, featuring stained glass windows with the School’s House flags, and an outdoor patio are often used for studying, meetings, performances, and other community events.
Tsai Field House
As part of Lawrenceville’s strategic plan, a new facility, the Tsai Field House, is currently under construction. It will fully replace the Irwin Dining Center as a beautiful gathering space for our community. Why the Field House? To further reinforce the idea of total health and wellbeing - drawing connections between physical fitness, healthy eating habits, socialization, and community inclusion. The new facility will allow for expanded opportunities for the students to use cooking equipment and make meals for themselves and others. It will allow for the Dining Services department to expand their capabilities and add to their service philosophy.
