Coffee Shop On Campus

by Colin McKenzie

Morning coffee is a big part of many people’s day. Many students and faculty  at North Attleboro High School bring a coffee to school to start their morning, but what if students and teachers had the option of having a coffee shop here in the school? What if students and teachers had the option to buy their favorite beverage at any point in the day?

There are many reasons why we should have a coffee shop on campus. The first is that students would have the access to coffee here and wouldn’t be late to school because they’ve stopped to get a morning coffee at a place that is out of their way. Also, if a student is running late, they can come to the coffee shop during break or passing time and grab a quick coffee. Additionally, if a faculty member has a late morning, they would have the option to grab a quick coffee to recharge. Student Mike Hargens said, “I would love a coffee shop of some sort on campus. It would make money for the school, the students and faculty would be happy and it’s convenient.”

Hargens’ quote brings up the second reason why we should have a coffee shop on campus: the added income to the school. With the budget struggling each and every year, this additional money coming in could go towards lessening user fees or other financial issues that have resulted from our lack of funds.

Finally, a coffee shop on campus could be a good alternative for students whose schedules are overloaded with SLPs. Similar to working at the School Store, students could sign up to work in the coffee shop during extra SLPs, giving them a productive job to do during an otherwise unproductive time.

There are also many negatives to having this shop on campus. Some of the problems include large amounts of students traffic during break and passing time, the shop being taken advantage of, and students being tardy for class because they’re waiting in line. Clusters in the hallways would begin to form, and with our school being small, there isn’t necessarily a good place for it to go.

Senior Max Mitchell agreed with this sentiment, saying, “Yeah it would be great and all but, there is no place to put it in this school and the traffic would be insane during break and passing time.”

In addition to not having a great location available, some people argue that an on-campus coffee shop could easily be taken advantage of. Senior class secretary James Schromm said, “Yes it would bring in a profitable income to the school and I would love having one here on campus, but I can easily see this coffee shop causing problems throughout the school day.”  

Despite the possible cons, a well-run, well-planned coffee shop could help our school financially and add to the school culture. Just because it might have its challenges doesn’t mean that it should be shied away from, especially with its potential to bring success and progress to our high school.