Need coffee? King says LOL!

For many adults, having coffee in the morning is almost a daily ritual. No, it is a ritual,  considering how many can’t start their day without enough caffeine in their system.  

Like them, caffeine is a lifeline for many students who juggle school and sometimes work-life on little to no sleep. It is all the more essential for senior students, who find themselves sacrificing sleep in the name of getting into university. Regardless, only staff members at King have access to coffee machines during the school day, whereas no such facilities exist for students. If the administration wants to make our lives easier, installing coffee machines for student use or including it in Breakfast Club could be a place to start. 

I’m not talking about crap-filled energy drinks or sodas, but pure coffees and teas. Something to make early morning Robotics or Phys Ed. slightly more bearable. Something, to beat the post-lunch drowsies. But the fact that staff members can get a cup anytime they want from the teachers’ lounge, while we have to make a pilgrimage to Tim’s every. single. time. is enough to exasperate anyone. 

85% of the students surveyed at King believe that we should have coffee machines too, so the fact that all we get are vending machines that are about as reliable as McDonald’s’ soft serve is simply unfair. 

Anu Manoharan, Grade 12 student and Iced Capp connoisseur followed by the official Tim Horton’s Instagram, could do with a coffee machine on campus to save him a trip once in a while:

I mean yes, caffeine does have some not-so-pleasant side effects, and making them readily available to teenagers may seem unwise.  However, everything in moderation, right? The Harvard Medical School blog has cited a research study where moderate doses of coffee (3 -5 cups daily) has proven to be part of a healthy diet. Caffeine has also shown to aid school performance in terms of helping students focus, boosting their mood and productivity, as well as improving short term memory for up to 24 hours! Plus, who can really be against coffee breaks? 

Before you say “but caffeine is a drug!” let me tell you that chances are, students will find a way to get their fix anyway. Perhaps by skipping a class here and there to go to Tim’s or drinking espresso after school, which will only disrupt their sleep that night.

That being said, if anyone from admin is reading this, students would much appreciate a coffee machine for Christmas this year. 

This article was originally published in the Spring 2020 issue of the Kingsley Voice and has since been modified.