Stoughton High School underwent construction over the summer of 2024 and it’s supposed to conclude around the end of January. 

Due to construction, they removed all of the vending machines to open up space to build a bigger and better lunch room and also give the cooks a better kitchen format.

After the construction is completed, they plan not to bring vending machines back but instead have the shack open throughout the day. Finding out that we won’t have them anymore has caused concern among many students, including myself. I remember the vending machines being visited frequently when they were around. Every time I would go to get a snack, there was always at least one other student getting a snack or drink  and occasionally, there were long lines of students waiting to grab one.

To solve the problem of not having vending machines, our administration wants to use “The Shack” (our school store) and keep it open the entire day  rather than just in the morings.

However, if this took the place of our vending machines, who would run it? The school doesn’t have many staff members available to keep it running. Maybe, if teachers took them in shifts, they could manage to keep it open, but most teachers have their classes, prep time, and lunch, which end up completing their work schedule for the day.

I think if they want to open the shack, they could have business students participate in that for more insight on how to keep a business running. But we run into an issue because there isn’t a business class every hour of the day for it to be open all day.

Removing vending machines completely after construction wouldn’t be beneficial to the staff and students. Having vending machines in the school provides food and drinks for people who may not have brought a snack or water to school. Without them, students who aren’t able to get money on their account for breakfast or lunch go throughout the day without anything to hold them off till lunch or they get home.

Staying fueled throughout the day helps students stay focused in class and not feel as drained. I often don’t eat breakfast in the mornings because I don’t have the time and I end up going through the first few hours of the day with nothing but an empty stomach. I’ve noticed that it’s harder for me to focus without anything to eat and always find myself waiting for lunch to come. 

With vending machines, I and others wouldn’t have to be hungry throughout the day.

Another reason why we need vending machines is because students have started stealing things from a la carte at lunch due to how high the prices are and because of the lack of vending machines. 

Students are given a small time frame in the morning and at lunch to get food, but after that, you’re on your own for the rest of the day. If we had vending machines, this wouldn’t be an issue. People would be able to get snacks or drinks whenever they want. 

Removing vending machines as a whole after construction and replacing them with a shack wouldn’t be wise considering there isn’t any staff or students who would be able to keep the shack running all day.