Here at RMHS, food is readily available for students. There are multiple vending machines for students to buy snacks and drinks at, cafes that sell food, as well as a snack station. But in recent years, students have seen a spike in the prices of the food. 

Hot and fresh cookies sold that were 75 cents three years ago are now sold at a whopping $1.50. Students have noticed this crazy amount of price raises and are not happy about it. 

“The fact that prices have risen so much in just three years is annoying,” Matt Braho, a senior at RMHS remarks. It’s not just cookies, however, ice cream and smoothie prices have also risen. 

Of course, inflation is a natural occurrence in our country. But for high school students who do not have copious amounts of money available, such intense rises are outrageous.  

“As someone with no stable income, it’s hard to buy things from the vending machines with the very increased prices,” sophomore Mackenzie Termanas states. 

Many students don’t have jobs, and those who do have other expenses, such as gas for their cars and insurance. And for the lower income students, not having cheap food available is detrimental. They should be able to use the vending machines freely without worrying if they have enough money to buy a snack for their school day. 

“Sometimes on long days the only food I can get is from the vending machines, and with the prices skyrocketing it gets rough,” Termanas explains. 

The administration at our school should focus on feeding their students and finding the most effective way to do so. Pricing shouldn’t be focused on profit, it should be on making sure students can afford snacks throughout their school day.