We saunter back into the cafeteria after our [hopefully] relaxing winter break, hoping to buy a few goodies from the hardworking cafeteria ladies. What is this...?! Horrified, we find that some of our favorite treats have been raised to steep, outrageous prices. Prices that we, as students, can’t exactly afford most of the time.



After all, almost all of us don’t have any sort of job to draw financial wealth from. So, in turn, that causes us to turn to our parents for charitable donations... which, most of the time, [sad to say], aren’t that charitable at all. Now we have to dish out another 50 cents to buy a shoddy ice cream bar?! How messed-up is that?!

We live on our parent’s dime, not our own. If it were our choice, we’d probably be swimming in a sea of strawberry shortcake popsicles every lunch; that is, if we had the necessary amount of denaro. But no... we don’t have the dough... now do we? First of all, it’s already a pain to go to the movies and know that all you have money for is to buy the movie tickets and a measly, little Diet Coke. What now? We have to worry about having a balanced diet with a food price with a 50 cent inflation?!?!

Teachers and other authoritative educational figures claim that we should have a balanced diet. However, how can we eat nutritional foods when the school raises the prices on our cafeteria food. Chocolate milk is $1.75!!! And what about the yummy- yum-yum Strawberry Shortcakes. $1.25!!! Ridiculous!!!!

Perhaps, the school shouldn’t be on the receiving end of such blame. Through an informative source, (eighth grade history specialist: Mrs. Kutcher), we have found that the inflation orders have not come from the school big shots, but from a private food company that controls the district supplement of food. This company is called Sodexo, according to Tina, the head of food services. The schools in the prestigious Saddleback Valley Unified School District have a contract with the food company. This can only mean one thing; if they decide the prices should be higher, then RSM school is subject to these changes.

Mrs. Escamilla also provided her helpful input, saying that if the student population were to boycott the items that were raised to a higher price, the company may take the hint, and lower their prices.

However, most students with enough dough to purchase these products, will probably not be willing to sacrifice their daily sugary treats, for what we'd like to call, "the greater good."

In this case, we RSM students have to either lower ourselves to the point of submission, or make a protest of some kind. We either wait until the prices are lowered or we get more money.

Better start selling that lemonade, everybody; it’s going to be a LONG year.