Most students at East, roaming the halls every weekday morning, share two commonalities: first are their eyes, heavy and darkened, and second is their obligatory cup of coffee, clenched tightly in tired hands. It’s widely accepted that consuming large quantities of caffeine on a regular basis is not optimal for one’s mental health; however, neither are missing assignments, or failing tests. Every night students decide whether or not to sacrifice their grades or their well-being, and many opt for the latter. Thus, caffeine is a necessary supplement. It is one that used to be provided for sale by East, but this practice has since been discarded. The sale of coffee must be reinstated; the students at East need it.

Considering the immense workload students must tackle, the least administration could do is provide them with the means of accomplishing said workload. With school starting at 7:30 a.m, many students wake up between 6:30 and 7:00 to catch their bus. If one is involved with a club or sport, they may not get home from school until around 4:30 or 5:30. Adding one hour to eat dinner and one hour to shower and decompress, countless students do not start their homework until around 7:00 p.m at night. Furthermore, if a student wakes up for school at 7 a.m and wants to get eight hours of sleep, they would have to go to bed at 11 p.m. This leaves them with exactly four hours to complete their work and get ready for bed. That is, if they are even in the right headspace to work. Many students are so tired after coming home from school, that they must also find time to take a nap.
While three to four hours may seem like a lot of time to study and finish homework, it must be noted that East is infamous for its extremely demanding courses. Plus, it cannot be ignored the ingrained culture of competition at East, adding social pressure for students to bite off more than they can chew.

With these ideas in mind, it is obvious East’s students are worn down. Caffeine is the extra boost many students rely on to get them through the day. If coffee were to be sold in school once more, performance in afternoon classes would surely improve. Many find it difficult to concentrate in the last half of the day, negatively impacting their attention and grades in those classes.

In the end, it is up to administration to decide whether or not coffee sales will be reinstated. However, the student body is desperate. Considering the demanding workload, extremely early start-times, and intense culture of competition, East students are owed this small courtesy.