Havre High School students will once again have a room just for eating their lunch.

As a part of the high school’s ongoing recovery from a collapse of a portion of the roof at the end of December, the cafeteria is reopening today, for the first time since before the Christmas break.

Following the collapse, several rooms were closed amid concerns of the structural integrity of the remaining roof and then asbestos that was dislodged by the collapse.

Those rooms included the cafeteria, library, computer lab, home economics room, and wood and metal shop classrooms.

The two shops were reopened earlier this semester, as they were not directly beneath the collapsed area, nor were they affected by the asbestos cleanup process.

Students began using the home economics room again last week.

The computer lab was also reopened last week, as the school’s tech staff, with some student volunteers, moved all of the equipment back in from the ad hoc lab set up on the second floor.

High School Principal Jerry Vandersloot said that staff had been refilling the school library with its 16,000 books for the past two weeks, and will be working on that project for a few weeks more.

Since the collapse, students have been eating on tables set up in the school’s hallways, which Vandersloot said has gone well.

“The kids have been excellent about eating in the hallway and picking up after themselves, ” Vandersloot said. “I know they’re anxious to sit at a table, in chairs, while they eat again. ”

He added that the kitchen staff would also appreciate not having to navigate the hallways.

The cafeteria had been out of commission as it was used to store the furniture and a equipment from the other closed rooms until they were all cleaned up.

Now the building is almost back to where is was before three or four foot drifts demanded some big adjustments.

“We have a great staff that has been flexible through this whole process, ” Vandersloot said.

“It’s getting closer to normal, that’s for sure. ”