Skyline High School has added two new profitable additions to the school in the central commons, but the limitations on the use of the vending machines is what is the most controversial in the student body. 

Skyline High School Admin and ASB implemented two new vending machine for virtually no cost. ASB usually doesn’t do many fundraisers, but the vending machines allowed for them to make a profit without spending much to do so.

“We got the vending machines through contract since our district already has contracts with the companies that provide us the vending machines, so that’s of no cost to us,” ASB President Rishi Hazra said, “we get a commission from each person’s purchase from the vending machines which goes straight to the ASB account.”

The proceeds from the vending machines help fund dances, assemblies and many other activities for all Skyline students which is very important to our student body, but ASB recognized the difficulty for clubs to fundraise and doesn’t want to have to compete with the student store that raises money for DECA so the decision was made to shut off the vending machines during lunch. 

Skyline High School Admin and ASB made the decision to limit the hours of the vending machines. The two vending machines each have different hour regulations that are indicated by the signs that are on top of each of the vending machines. One of the vending machines is open 3:30 p.m. to midnight Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 4:15 p.m. until midnight on Wednesdays. The other vending machine is always open besides during Lunch.

ASB and Admin made the decision for limiting the hours for multiple reasons, not only does ASB not want to interfere with the student store’s profits, but also Michelle Obama’s MyPlate act limits when and what they can sell to students at school.

“You can’t have certain items sold by the school that don’t meet certain nutritional credits like there need to be a limited number of calories, sodium, etc.” Hazra said. “those are rules for like all kind of things … like cafeteria food same thing.” 

The MyPlate  act is aimed to help create a healthy environment for students at their schools and MyPlate regulation limited what the school could do legally in terms of the vending machines. The vending machine with the more limited hours has products that don’t meet all of the criteria needed in order for it to be sold during school hours.

Keith Hennig explained that they had the option to not have the second machine which has the limited hours due to the health restrictions, but the goal was to give the students as many options as possible.

Legally the only restriction was the nutritional guidelines, but the vending machines had another factor limiting their hours. The student store has seen some impact from the vending machine’s introduction and ASB did not want to compete with fundraising for DECA.

“At first they [the vending machines] did [make an impact on the profit of the student store] because they got installed and nobody had talked to me about them and they were running during lunch,” Stephania Gullikson, the advisor of the student store, said. “instead of kids knowing really we were open and have those same offerings, they were going straight to the vending machines.”

The competition between the student store and vending machines had an initial impact especially due to their location and how they were generating revenue. However, the location of the vending machines was very strategic and a lot of thought went into it so that wasn’t what ASB and Admin wanted to sacrifice.

“We needed a place that had a blank wall and had outlets and we wanted a place that would be where students would be able to access them easily and knew they were there,” Hennig said. “There used to be an ASB board on that wall so at first we thought it wouldn’t work, but then we had some conversations with ASB and we ended up moving that and were able to place our vending machines there.”

The location may have originally compromised the student store, but now it allows for them to change their inventory in a similar way that ASB does for the vending machines. ASB uses the data from what sells in the vending machines and updates offerings based on that. Gullikson took a similar approach with the student store.

“I watched to see what was popular and decided to carry those items as well,” Gullikson said, “my classroom is right next to the store and the vending machines, so I would go and look and see what was selling out the fastest, and where the demand was, so that we make sure that we have those items available.”

The vending machines have been a major new addition to the school, and although the limited hours may frustrate some students they are a non-negotiable aspect of the vending machines for legal reasons as well as out of respect for the student store, and overall will have a positive impact on the students at Skyline.

As for the future of the vending machines, Hazra says Admin and ASB are looking into adding another vending machine in the upper commons, but besides that not many changes would be made to the vending machines besides the products inside them.