Classes at South High start at 7:35 a.m., Monday through Friday. Most students have to wake up an hour or earlier to make it to school on time. Then they have to sit through 7 hours of classes and many students stay after school for athletics or clubs. With the long hours, it’s no wonder why falling asleep in classes has become such a large problem. Students need something to give them a boost throughout the day.

The cafeteria and vending machines should have caffeine products available for purchase. This would help students stay awake during the day and give them an extra boost of energy. 

There isn’t any way that the length of the school day or the start time could be changed, but making caffeinated beverages available for purchase is within the realm of possibility.

As of now, South doesn’t really offer any caffeine products. They do sell Mountain Dew Kickstart which contains 80 milligrams of caffeine. That’s less than a standard cup of coffee. They barely contain any caffeine; they might as well be sold as a juice product. All of the soda sold has to be caffeine-free. While Mountain Dew is a soda brand, Kickstarts aren’t considered to be sodas. The company categorizes them as an enhanced soft drink.

I’m not saying that the school should let students buy energy drink brands such as Monsters of C4’s but South High should have some caffeinated beverages available for students to purchase if they want to. This would help students who feel tired during the day and need something to get them through their classes.

Students are able to bring in their own caffeine in the morning, but many people are in a hurry and either don’t have time to get something or just forget. If students are allowed to bring in their own, then why can’t the school sell it. 

Caffeine has a number of benefits associated with it. Improved memory, decreased fatigue, and improvement of mental functioning are just a few of them.

I understand caffeine isn’t the best to have in large amounts, but I do believe that having a little bit every once in a while is perfectly fine. It’s up to the student to make the choice to purchase caffeine and to be responsible with their consumption. 

In the last month, many Instagram accounts relating to students at the school have popped up with the most popular being the naps page. Students who happen to fall asleep in class have their pictures posted to this page. The page already has over 100 people pictured snoozing away, when they could be wide awake and alert if they had a Diet Coke in their hand. 

Sleeping in class has shown itself to be a serious problem as of late. Blame could be put on students for not getting enough sleep, but with after-school activities, work, and homework, students have to make sacrifices for things such as sleep. 

I don’t think that falling asleep in class should be punished as it is most likely not the students’ fault. 

Students are able to bring in caffeine from home. If the school offered it, then they might buy drinks from the school which will help generate some extra revenue for the school.

If the school doesn’t want to have sugary soda, then they can sell sugar-free sodas that have caffeine. Diet Pepsi Max, Diet Coke, and Diet Mountain Dew all contain the same amount of caffeine as their sugary counterparts. 

Giving students the option to purchase caffeine will help them to stay awake during class time and make them more motivated as they go through the day.