Riverside Brookfield High School’s vending machines have been operated by the company “Canteen” for the last five years. The machines are located between the Fieldhouse and Main Gym near the Aquatics Center. Students here are grateful to have vending machines because not all schools do. I have just one bone to pick about these machines: why are they not open during the school day? 24/7 vending machines can build better RB students.

Students are rushing to school everyday to avoid hero passes and to avoid the long lines of cars to get to school on time which often means that students aren’t able to eat breakfast. Breakfast helps kids’ memory, alertness, problem solving, mood, and more. There is no point of having vending machines when they aren’t available at each student’s convenience. Students can receive the extra boost they need to get themselves through the rest of the school day if the machines are open during school.

Along with this, sometimes lunches can be forgotten at home or homework overloaded on a student can leave them less time to pack a lunch. Lunches here are also expensive for the quantity of food that is given. Not everyone has the money to be buying lunches when lunch is forgotten. The vending machines being open can give students a cheaper alternative than the pricey lunches, not to mention the excessively long lunch lines. Also a better option for students who have dietary restrictions since the lunchroom doesn’t always provide for them. Students need to eat and we shouldn’t prevent them from doing so. Staying hydrated is also essential for the school day. We need drinks and food to get through the day, so why stop us from thriving to our full potential everyday?

Restricting students can cause some students to have the urge to rebel. People have reached through the bars of the enclosed barrier on the vending machines during the school day to try and see if they could hack the system. More disruption than normal is caused by having bars that cover these machines during the day. There shouldn’t be security guards hovering over the vending machines in the first place. Students should be trusted enough to attend vending machines when unattended. On the other hand, we constantly get emails home about students’ behavior. So, I can understand why we are being treated like babies constantly. We have to change behavior as students if we want vending machines open other than before and after school.

The school would also gain more money to enhance Riverside Brookfield’s projects and fundings that their budget doesn’t account for if it were open all day long. The money could then go to various clubs and extracurricular activities. From a business standpoint, money is lost from the kids that would have purchased from the vending machines during school. Schools are very expensive to maintain and our district has budget requirements they must meet. The district could generate larger revenue depending on the amount purchased daily from the machines. This is money lost that would have benefited RB and the school’s future.

Therefore, opening the vending machines during the school day is profitable to the school and beneficial to the students of RB by giving them more freedom that can make the school days more enjoyable and less dreadful. Parents wouldn’t have to worry about their kids eating during the school day. Students will not only be more productive but have the energy to strive academically and physically. This isn’t me being greedy but more of a proposal for the betterment of RB’s students.