New vending machine has the “best snacks”—but is open exclusively after school

A new student has arrived at Arrowhead Union High School…a new student vending machine.  The snack machine was placed in the North Campus lunch room next to the old ones last week and it features a black exterior.  This new machine is only available after 3:06 PM and contains Doritos, non whole-grain Pop Tarts, candy such as skittles, and more “unhealthy things” says Senior Onesti Ekholm.

The machine only being open after school has caused some controversy among students who may want to purchase these snacks during the school day rather than after.  According to the paper taped to the machine, this is per” school nutrition standards set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction; these standards are referred to as “Smart Snacks.”  Smart Stacks standards include calorie and fat limits for snacks; snacks cannot be more than 200 calories according to the WI DPI.  Foods that do not fit these standards cannot be sold until “30 minutes after the end of the…school day” says the WI DPI.  A full list of these standards may be accessed here. 

The Arrowhead Marketing’s Hawksnest, known as the school store among students, is open during school and is located in the North Campus from 7:15am to 2:30pm Monday- Friday.  Brion says that she “goes to the school store” for what she “needs” instead of vending machines and many students appear to agree.  

Junior Olivia Morse says Hawksnest have a “larger selection” and have “Arizona iced teas” that are not available in  the current vending machines in the cafeteria.

After a prior shortage of food, Hawksnest now has a fully restocked Starbucks fridge, various sodas, including Pepsi nitro, and a spinning wheel which contains phrases such as “marry Emmett” and other jokes written by the Arrowhead DECA.  This spinning wheel is not edible.

Bublys are one dollar, most sodas are two dollars, and both Starbucks beverages and Pepsi Nitro are three dollars according to Junior Lily Liu.

Liu works at the school store and says that she has “not heard about the new vending machine” but believes the school store has overtaken the previous need of students for using vending machines because of one reason, “we’re good.”

“If you need coffee, we’ve got all the coffee you need,” says Liu.