Many students may have noticed new vending machines at SHS this year. This is due to SHS’s switch from Coca-Cola to PepsiCo products.

Along with new vending machines, products in the concession stands have also been altered from Coke to Pepsi products.

On June 30, the contract between Coca-Cola and Perry Township expired. The district requested bids from both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, and Pepsi provided the most responsive bid to the district’s needs, according to Chief Financial Officer Mike Bagley.

The money raised from both concession stands and vending machines are distributed back throughout the school.

The parent booster club, consisting of Heather Cooper and Brett Cochreall, is in charge of handling the money made at concession stands each year.

“The last few years, our (parent) booster club has raised over 100,000 dollars,” Athletic Director Mr. Pete Hubert said.  “There’s a lot of hard work involved.”

One hundred percent of the money raised from concession stands always gets distributed back to the athletic department to be used for repairs and replacements for items such as uniforms and equipment when needed, according to Hubert.

The money spent on food/drinks in the vending machines also goes back to the school.

The annual amount of money raised from vending machines is divided up and distributed back to students and staff. SHS then tries to find a ballpark estimate of how much of that money was raised by students and how much was raised by teachers.  For example, 30 percent of vending machine sales were from teachers. That 30 percent will go back to teachers’ needs.

According to a poll completed on Sept. 9, about 59 percent of students polled prefer Coke products over Pepsi. Of those 59 percent, 23 percent use the vending machines at least two times a week. The other 41 percent of students polled prefer Pepsi over Coke products, and 21 percent of those use the vending machine at least two times a week.

“I’m happy we switched,” sophomore Cassidy DiTullio said. “Honestly Mountain Dew is so much better than Mellow Yellow.”

Along with a new brand of soda filling the vending machines, there’s a new price to pay for the sugary refreshment. Each drink now costs $1.25, compared to last years price of only $1. This price increase raises more money  to be used for the students and staff at SHS.