Food Sales During School
May 6, 2018
As of March 1st, all classroom snack bars at West Anchorage High School were closed by order of activities principal Ja Dorris. This decision seemed to only affect class markets that competed with the (Parent-Teacher Association) PTA’s Eagles Cache, and did not spare the already struggling Special Ed program’s snack bar, and closed other alternative snack options popular with students.
“I joke I’m a wedding planner, but its not really a joke… I just keep the ball moving,” said Dorris. He has worked for the district for 20+ years. The administration’s primary concerns involved the money not passing through official channels.
Jade Lee is a Special Ed teacher here at West. Lee teaches Life Skills I, a class that helps students with disabilities navigate the obstacles of daily life, like cooking, doing laundry, keeping finances, and recently, gardening. The money coming in from the snack bar was enough to spring for a few grow lamps, and some assorted houseplants she found on Craigslist.
The Life Skills I snack bar brought in about $50 a day, about half of which went to restocking goods. Through this project, Jades students were able to learn about online banking, gain basic shopping skills, and have positive social interactions with other West students, and losing it dealt a devastating blow. “[Dorris] said we’re just taking too much money from the Eagles Cache.” Lee said.
Lee also made it very clear that the snack bar was not simply a vehicle for fundraising, but a critical part of her curriculum. “Everything they do is a learning experience,” said Jade. The snack bar has been a cornerstone of Lee’s curriculum
It is important to note the good the Eagle’s Cache does for West High, handing out upwards of $45,000 every year in grants to help fund important student programs activities. According to West PTSA Vice President Cathy Opinsky, the primary function of the Eagles Cache is help student groups fundraise, and to award additional grants to programs in need. According to Opinsky, a student group can sign up to work the Cache for one week per year. Student groups receive 46 percent of all sales, capped at $1,000.
Ann Fonoti • Nov 21, 2018 at 10:20 am
I’m glad the Special ed has their program.
Bubba Mendoza • Nov 16, 2018 at 10:06 am
Great topic everyone wondered why this happend
Mya • May 18, 2018 at 10:02 am
I like how you got a teacher’s perspective on the whole situation.
Quincy Donley • May 17, 2018 at 1:04 pm
This is a very informational article. Maybe the Life Skills Class could consider running the Eagles Cache for a week as a substitution for their independent sales.
stephanie sy • May 14, 2018 at 4:19 pm
This article was very interesting and it allows to give other students an insight of the proceeds classroom snack bars make and what West utilizes them for. Great read!
Maya Kemp • May 13, 2018 at 4:41 pm
I think that this article is very relevant because students would like to know why they can no longer buy food from these vendors. I didn’t know the huge impact that the snack bar had on the Special ED program either.
Adisak Prasannet • May 11, 2018 at 1:58 pm
This is a really good article, it just shows how some classes were affected by the closing of classroom stores, which lead to some concern from the students.
Chudier C • May 10, 2018 at 1:31 pm
Im glad the eagles cache funds for the west student programs.
Alexander Carhart • May 8, 2018 at 3:03 pm
This is a very informational article. I do miss the classroom stores because they were cheaper than the Eagles Cache, but it is what it is.