Writing with Style Writing and Style Manual Poway Unified School District

Writing with Style Writing and Style Manual
Poway Unified School District

SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER

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Sean Kosmo

Mr. Spock

H.S. English 3: Per. 5

30 February 2002

Sodas Are for Drinking, Not Banning

“Sodas sold in vending machines and student stores generate an annual average profit of $39,000 per high school and $14,000 per middle school” (Lota 1). Obviously, figures as large as these cannot be ignored. However, several school districts in California, including the Los Angles Unified School District, have recently chosen to ignore them. Profits from soda sales in these districts previously funded athletic programs, field trips, and other extra-curricular activities, and without these profits, schools may be forced to terminate many of those programs. During a time when schools are desperate for money to fund the high costs of running an institute of learning, a profit-draining ban on soda sales on campus is the last thing they need. But money is not the only problem. By banning soda sales, districts show a lack of trust in students and strip them of their right to choose how they eat. Instead, districts should use health classes to inform students about nutrition, good dietary choices, and the consequences of poor choices. This emphasis would promote healthy living and combat obesity more effectively than a soda ban would. Although school boards in other districts have already chosen to enforce a ban on soda sales, the school board of the Poway Unified School District must not.

The leading reason the ban should not be enforced is the financial crisis it would cause many schools. At Fallbrook High School and many other high schools, vending machine “money funds ASB activities such as pep rallies and class competitions, as well as agriculture, auto shop, and music programs” (Mortenson 2). Other high schools use the funds to support athletic programs, the loss of which could make students even worse off physically. Some people might not believe that athletic programs and ASB activities would

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really be cut; however, “Marie Cashion, activities director for Mt. Carmel’s Associated Student Body, said vending machines on that campus bring in $20,000 per year” (Moss 2). Despite such potential losses, supporters of the ban argue that the loss in revenues could be made up with the sales of healthier alternative drinks. These drinks would include low or sugar-free sports drinks and juices. However, those alternative drinks would probably not sell nearly as well as soda pop. According to Tom Needles, the Student Activities Director at Pleasant Valley High School, “if…the contents [were] changed to healthier drinks, students would likely be hurt by lower sales” (Michael 3).

The financial threat to high schools extends beyond low vending machine sales to the threat of losing corporate sponsors like Pepsi and Coca-Cola. “Recently, the Sweetwater Union High School District in Chula Vista signed an exclusive deal with Pepsi that is expected to bring at least $4.45 million to its 20 schools over the next 10 years—money that will help pay for library books, intramural sports and school-to-career programs” (Daunt B-1). Under the current arrangement in Sweetwater, all the groups involved get what they want: schools can buy supplies and fund programs, soda companies can sell their product, and students can enjoy a soda with their lunch. However, California State Senator Martha Escutia, sponsor of bill to eliminate junk food sales in schools, believes districts entering into these deals are making “an unhealthy alliance in order to seek profit,” a practice that does not reflect “the purpose of a school” (qtd. in Daunt B-1). Escutia’s condemnation of this “marketplace of junk and soda” is understandable. She believes that selling junk food “undermines the good habits that parents are trying to instill” (qtd. in Daunt B-1). However, the benefits of making these alliances outweigh the potential negative effects on schools. For example, in the Los Angeles Unified School District, “the move [to ban sodas] has prompted Coca-Cola to threaten to pull its annual $20,000 sponsorship of the district’s Academic Decathlon scholastic competition” (Gao 1). Even though schools should not value money over students’ health, they also should not depreciate students’ opportunities for education through losing support for academic events, classes, and other programs.

By allowing students the choice of whether or not to purchase a soda, schools allow them the chance to make choices on their own and deal with real life situations. One of the decisions that everyone must make daily is that of what to eat. By revoking the right to make

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this decision when purchasing food, the school would be showing no confidence in the students’ abilities to make decisions for themselves. The Rancho Bernardo High School ESLRs (Expected Schoolwide Learning Results) clearly convey that upon having completed their education at the high school level, students should be contributing members of society and fully functioning individuals (ESLRs). Yet the ban on soda sales would be a clear contradiction to the ESLRs in that rather than teaching students to make healthy decisions for themselves, the school would decide for them. Taking this choice away will simply embitter high school students who yearn for independence. Mt. Carmel High student Jeff Burke is one of them: “I…like being able to have a soda when I want one” (Moss 2). Taking the choice away from them will not stop them from bringing in soda. Abraham Mijares of Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley has plans to “bring sodas and start selling them—underground sodas!” (Gao Last Sip 1). Fallbrook High student Taylor Ullery put it best when she said, “We should have the choice” (Mortenson 2). Schools that allow students to choose between healthy foods and typical snack foods could make the healthier choices more appealing by selling them at lower prices. That is exactly what Fallbrook High School is doing. “[A vendor] charges 25 cents for an apple, for example, and hiked the price up on candy bars to 75 cents. Juice and milk cost 30 cents, while a Coke will set a student back a dollar” (Motenson 1). Budget-conscious teens would be more likely to choose the healthier items to save money.

With so many problems, it is easy to see why a ban on soda sales in high schools would be devastating. Unfortunately, all those problems could be caused for nothing, if the ban does not help combat child obesity, which in all likelihood, it could not. Sean McBride, a spokesman for the National Soft Drink Association, explains why: “Physical education and physical activity are, by far, more important in combating obesity than banning soft drinks from students’ diets” (Lota 1). How can banning the sales of soft drinks on school campuses keep kids from opening up a can when they arrive home? Unless they dramatically alter their diet, no soda at school won’t aid in maintaining their good health. McBride explains, “The answer…is…to eat a variety of foods in moderation and to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Unfortunately, people are looking for a silver bullet and quick answers” (Gao 1). L.A. school board member Mike Lansing said, “This is a little more about hype than solving the problem of childhood obesity” (Reuters 1) and called it a “Band-Aid” measure (Gao 2). He elaborates, “It’s trying to fight a wildfire with a water gun. It makes great headlines, but I

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don’t think it’s going to be the answer” (Gao 2). To further illustrate this point, if the school board were truly serious about solving childhood obesity, they would have to revise the entire menu offered at their schools and eliminate all high-fat foods. After all, what good would banning sodas do if they didn’t ban pizzas, French fries, and other fatty foods? It defeats the purpose if such items are still offered.

With such unlikely benefits, why must we risk the huge financial support that soft drink sales provide? To do so would be foolish. Sean McBride knows the real problem: “In the end, this is really about the couch and not the can” (Lota 1).

As you can see, a ban on the sales of sodas in PUSD high schools would not be an effective solution to childhood obesity. There are several other preferred alternatives that can be used such as better physical education classes and better health classes. Parents too could be educated on healthy lifestyles so they can assist students at home. By educating students on health today, teachers will be preparing them to make good decisions on their own in the future. Another solution would be to offer healthier food alternatives at a much lower price. With so much at risk financially in a plan that may not even work, it is obvious that the ban is too risky. Why should we take chances with our children’s future on plans that may harm them more than help them? Though it may be a noble effort, you must think logically and make a fair, balanced decision. In the end the cons outweigh the pros by far. Thus, you must vote not to enforce a ban on soda sales in high school campuses in the Poway Unified School District. Please remember that sodas are for drinking, not banning.

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Works Cited

Daunt, Tina. “A War on Soda and Candies in Schools.” Los Angeles Times. 26 August
2001: B-1.

Gao, Helen. “Last Sip for Sodas or, To Prevent Dueling LAUSD Heds.” Los Angeles Daily News 27 August 2002. 16 October 2002 <http://www.dailynews.com/cda/article/print/.html>.

Gao, Helen. “Soda Ban May Burst Bubble.” Los Angeles Daily News 25 August 2002. 16 October 2002 <http://www.dailynews.com/cda/article/print/.html>.

Lota, Louinn. “L.A. Schools Can Soda.” ABC News 28 August 2002. 16 October 2002
<http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/gma/americanfamily/020828/soda_
school_lota.html>.

Michael, John. “Los Angeles soda ban gets mixed reaction locally.” MSNBC 29 August 2002. 16 October 2002 <htttp://www.msnbc.com/local/cer/M18786.asp?cp1=1>.

Mortenson, Darrin. “Sodas to Remain a Choice at High School.” North County Times 27 September 2002. 16 October 2002 <http://www.nctimes.net/news/2002/20020927/92215.html>.

Moss, Andrea. “Poway District Considering Soda Ban.” North County Times 25 September 2002. 16 October 2002 <http://www.nctimes.net/news/2002/20020925/54837.html>.

Reuters. “L.A. Schools Ban Sodas.” CNN 27 August 2002. 16 October 2002 <http://www.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/08/27/la.soda.reut/>.

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