Teen Voices
By Ellen Paolini, Special to the Town Crier
The end of the school year is a time to reflect on one’s achievements in the classroom, generally somewhat sentimentally. However, what is happening to students at recess and lunch should be a cause of shame, not pride. In fact, it is a leading cause of concern in the United States.
Every day, American students in junior high and high schools stand in line to receive their lunches. They do not stand in hot-lunch lines, but in lines for vending machines. Smoothing out their dollar bills and counting coins, they jostle one another to get a better view of what is on the other side of the glass window. Chances are they get a glimpse of Cheetos, Oreos, Ruffles, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and other bagged and bottled snacks.
Although some of these products may have some nutritional value, most of them, particularly the soft drinks, are made primarily of sugar and artificial ingredients. Unfortunately, a great many students buy them throughout the day. They waste their money and risk their health on substances that have little or no nutritional value. Although some may blame this on the students, it is primarily the fault of the snack food companies and the schools with which they make contracts.
Because of their ingredients, soft drinks are tempting and habit-forming, especially to young people. They are sweet and taste delicious, but are really no more than liquid candy. Many young people drink soda as a substitute for water throughout the school day, simply because it tastes better and fills them up. In fact, the average young person consumes approximately 50 pounds of sugar per year, chiefly from drinking sodas.
It would not be so bad if soft drinks were taken in moderation, but the soda-drinking habit has become so widespread that it has led to rises in child- and young-adult obesity. In March, the government issued the statistics showing that obesity is close to overtaking smoking as the No. 1 cause of death in America. The obesity rate in New York City alone has doubled over the past eight years, according to the New York Times. Young people are at high risk of becoming obese. This danger increases with every vending-machine soda sipped at school. With no one to stop them, teens could easily drink themselves to death - not with alcohol, but soda.
Not only are students risking their good health when they drink sodas, they are also wasting their money. In most cases, students put their own money in those vending machine slots. Only $1 per school day adds up to almost $180 dollars per year. This is money that could go toward their college educations or future homes or even schooling for their own children someday.
Schools that have vending machines may argue that they use the revenue for good. In most cases, the money goes toward activities such as music, art and physical education that cannot always be funded by the school district. The money may fund needed programs, but there is a hidden cost: student health. Schools that really care about their students’ health and well-being do not have vending machines in the first place. Besides, schools do not have to save up for college.
Luckily, some school districts have already recognized the problem and are banning the machines on their middle and high school campuses. Soda sales have recently been prohibited in Philadelphia schools. Other schools and districts may follow that example soon. CNN reported that Philadelphia schools could lose about $500,000 a year without vending machines. However, the school district said their students’ safety and health are more important than money.
When the National Soft Drink Association was asked about the ban, its representative said, “We are concerned about obesity too - but we don’t believe that the restrictive approach and bans in particular work.”
Of course, the National Soft Drink Association must promote soda, but a prohibition may be the only way to put an end to the obesity problem. The items sold in the vending machines are tempting and habit-forming, posing a danger to students’ health. Banning the sale of soda on school campuses is a necessary step toward stopping the vending-machine epidemic.
Los Altos seventh-grader Ellen Paolini wrote this essay in the spring writing course of the Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth. She will enter eighth grade at Pinewood School in the fall.
