By Noah Mintie, Current Staff
Some water must have frozen, because the school store has zero Celsius.
The Shorefront, the school store at the West Bend High Schools, sold its last Celsius energy drink on March 7. They will never be restocked. This is not due to supply chain issues or price increases. Instead, the uber-popular commodity had a previously unnoticed problem that required its immediate removal from the store. In a small body of text near the nutrition facts on each can, a recommendation advises against consumption for anyone under age 18.
“It was student request, being a popular item on the market,” said business teacher and store operator Amy Radtke when asked how Celsiuses got into the store in the first place.
Popular indeed, as according to a survey taken by Shorefront customers, 50% of them had purchased Celsius from the store. According to the store’s own data, it was far and away the most popular drink that they offered, and it was not hard to see why. Of the drinks offered, it had the highest caffeine concentration at 200 mg per can, which is twice as much as a cup of coffee.
For students like East junior Dakota Gunnare, caffeine is a necessity to function at school.
“I wake up with a raging headache every morning,” she said. “I need like, 150 mg of caffeine per day to make it go away.”
Other students may not battle a headache every morning, but they undoubtedly fight sleepiness, and caffeine is a fast and easy solution, albeit an unhealthy one.
According to Hae Wol Cho of Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives in the National Library of Medicine, “Caffeine intake is related to various human health issues such as acute toxicity, cardiovascular disease, poor dietary behavior, bone density and calcium deficiency, and developmental and reproductive problems.” While these types of symptoms have not surfaced at West Bend High Schools due to Celsius in any way, it goes to show how seriously the issue should be taken.
And taken serious it was.
“It was brought to my attention (by a student) that there was a disclaimer on the can saying that it is not suggested for anyone under the age of 18,” Radtke said. “Upon that knowledge, the decision was made to remove the item from the store.”
This slightly embittered the Shorefront’s customer base, as when the aforementioned survey inquired how they felt, several respondents answered “sad” or “I want it back.” When asked if they knew whether the drink was recommended for ages 18+, 56% of respondents answered “no.”
Respondents were also asked if they would continue to drink Celsius in the school, just sourced elsewhere. Fifty-three percent of respondents answered “yes.” The drinks can be found individually at the several Kwik Trip locations in West Bend, and are sold in packs of six at many major grocery stores.
“Our admin team wishes to share that we support our school store advisors and representatives who we believe have the best interest of students in mind when making decisions for what is stocked,” said Jennifer Potter, the WBHS executive principal.
(Photos by Noah Mintie, Current Staff.)
The West Bend Current 