A recent trending picture of a coffee vending machine has students asking the same question: “What if?” Students are hoping that the school will buy a coffee vending machine.

Sophomores Leonora (Leo) Lillie and Tristan (Tris) Day said that they love the idea of the school buying a coffee machine. Tris said, “Most of the sodas in the machines are diet, and teens don’t want diet.” Leo said, “I’d be surprised [if the school bought one] because I don’t know if they would listen to us. Honestly, I think it’d be cool if we got one.”

Leo said, “If the coffee were to cost $1, I’d buy it every day. Plus, if the coffee was Starbucks coffee, the school would be rich.”

According to authoritynutrition.com, coffee can improve energy levels and enhance intelligence. They claim that the caffeine in coffee is absorbed into the bloodstream and flows to the brain. There, the caffeine blocks Adenosine, a neurotransmitter that makes the brain feel sleepy. Once the sleepiness is blocked, other neurotransmitters, like norepinephrine and dopamine, increase. This enhances the neurons, making them active once more. Studies show that various aspects of the brain improve, such as “memory, mood, vigilance, energy levels, reaction times and general cognitive function.”

By contrast, according to naturalsociety.com, soda “is the complete opposite of healthful.” The school carries only diet soda. But according to the naturalsociety.com, diet soda is not all that healthy; in fact, people who drink diet soda are more likely to eat more and eat “snacks” in between meals than are those who drink regular soda.

So why is soda allowed at school if it is unhealthy and does not follow the nutrition guidelines that Michelle Obama created?

According to whitehouse.gov, Michelle Obama once said, “We can all agree that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, all children should have the basic nutrition they need to learn and grow and to pursue their dreams, because in the end, nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children.  Nothing.  And our hopes for their future should drive every single decision that we make.” Michelle Obama said that her goal is to rid children of diabetes and heart diseases. The school’s sale of diet soda  seems contradictory.

Freshman Jason Marx said, “What about those that don’t like cold coffee? Maybe a Starbucks counter would be cool.” Freshman Jacob Blair said, “[Coffee] doesn’t give you fatigue.” Freshman Kyle Riesselman said he believes that if coffee makes girls happy and keeps them happy, then it will keep the boys happy.

Junior Morgan Street said, “I feel everyone could benefit by getting that extra rush because we all feel that I-don’t-want-to-be-here-this-morning feeling. A coffee machine could fix that.” Although there is a Starbucks up the street from the school, it would save the students and teachers time and money to buy coffee from a coffee vending machine. Morgan said, “People would go wild for the coffee. Especially with all the Starbucks fanatics. I believe coffee [could] definitely be a better benefit to McIntosh. Because we are the coffee generation.”