School ban can't quench craving for sugar, caffeine

LONGVIEW — Get to class on time? Or grab a Pepsi to quench a caffeine craving?

For Thomas Chavez, a junior at Mark Morris High School, the choice has been a tough one this year.

To get his caffeine fix, the 17-year-old frequently heads off-campus, to gas stations and stores across the street from the high school.

"I do it all the time, when I have money," Chavez said. The trips sometimes make him slide into his seat after the bell. And in extreme circumstances, he even has ditched class.

This year, Thomas, along with the rest of students in Longview schools, is learning to deal with a new nutrition policy that bans the sale of pop and sugary foods during the school day.

The district adopted the policy — which also cuts back on portion sizes of less-healthful foods — in response to increasing state and federal pressure on schools to combat the bulging obesity rates among American youth.

But Longview students say they've found ways around the ban, by browsing local convenience stores for soda and candy, heading home for a treat or bringing their own snacks.

"It's really pointless because you just go somewhere else and be unhealthy," said Tia Oliver, a 17-year-old Mark Morris senior.

School officials acknowledge that students are bailing on the cafeteria — Longview high schools have open campuses — but educators say they're not about to abandon the policy nor prohibit kids from leaving during lunch.

"I don't know how we can argue against better nutrition for kids. That's the bottom line," Mark Morris Principal Chris Fritsch said. "It might take a year or two. But we'll figure it out."

But the district, Fritsch said, may have underestimated the pull of the newly renovated Triangle Center — complete with WinCo Foods, Starbucks, Pizza Schmizza and Quiznos — across the street from Mark Morris.

"There are so many places around here," said Katie Cain, a 16-year-old Mark Morris sophomore. "Some people are late to school because they go to Starbucks."

Campus sales droop

School officials say they're looking into more appealing healthful foods and treats to tempt kids to eat on campus. But in the meantime, without high-demand items for sale, Mark Morris and R.A. Long high schools have reported dramatic dips in revenue from vending machines and student stores.

At R.A. Long, student-store sales dropped roughly 40 percent in November and December, compared with the same months last year.

And in the pop machines at Mark Morris — which aren't stocked with carbonated beverages anymore — there was a roughly 60 percent decline in November and December sales, according to district figures.

Those funds help pay for student activities, such as athletics and DECA, a marketing club.

"It's ridiculous. All the school is doing is losing money," said Amber Buckee, a 16-year-old Mark Morris junior. "All the kids do is take time out of our day and go over to the gas station and get the same stuff."

Last school year, Amber Corona bought a soda nearly every day at school. This year is a different story.

"You're always thirsty, and all you can have is water now," the 16-year-old Mark Morris sophomore complained.

Some students say they're learning to work the system in the cafeteria, where servings have been downsized.

"Sure, they give you a half portion of fries. But you can go back and get extra," said Brendon Little, an 18-year-old Mark Morris senior.

For Chace Pedersen, a 14-year-old R.A. Long freshman, the nutrition policy is a moot point.

"I don't eat at school," he said on his way back to R.A Long from the Hemlock Store, a popular destination on 30th Avenue for kids on the hunt for snacks. "It doesn't bother me."

More variety, please

Not everyone, though, is complaining about the change: Brittainey Miller, a 16-year-old Mark Morris junior, approves of the school's ban on soda sales.

Still, she wants more options in the cafeteria and choices in the vending machines other than water and flavored water — which she describes as tasting like "lip gloss."

"They don't have enough variety," she said recently during lunch. "That's why no one eats here anymore."

Miller and a group of friends were beelining to Lower Columbia College next door — where the food is better, she said.

Terry Sargent, a teachers aide who oversees the R.A. Long student store, said that at the beginning of the year some students felt they needed to assert their independence by bringing pop and sugar-filled foods to school.

"They needed to make a point," she said. "But I don't see that as much now. I think everyone's kind of settling in, and we do have our students who like their water and flavored water and juice."

Last year, students pestered her for healthful options. Now, they have choices, Sargent said.

"They really are adjusting well, and most of the students do want to have better nutritional items," she said. "I think it's making us all aware."

Still, some students say they'll continue to go to great lengths to keep caffeinated.

"We will actually do anything to eat the way we eat," said Lee Dowd, an 18-year-old Mark Morris senior. "We will walk for it. We will drive for it. We will pay extra for it."