BY MAUD N E SCHRAM
Walk in to Mariemont High School before classes begin, and you will find many students carrying thermoses filled with the vital morning coffee. While some students drink coffee for taste, a majority use it as a necessary morning boost.
“I love coffee, but I am definitely dependent upon it because I fall asleep in class if I don’t have it in the morning,” says senior Katie Arends.
Arends is one of many students who takes part in the morning-coffee ritual. Since the end of sophomore year, Arends has been consuming coffee to keep herself alert and on top of her schooling and activities.
English teacher, Mr. Litton, is one of the many teachers at Mariemont High School drinking coffee.
“I started in college because I was an English major, and we could go to coffee houses; it was some place cool to go, but I didn’t really start drinking coffee until I started teaching,” says Litton.
Litton drinks between three to four cups of coffee in the morning. Past ten o’clock, he drinks water and does not consume the caffeinated sodas.
“I think Mr. Wolfford is more European and sensible about his coffee,” says Litton.
When first asked to comment, American Government teacher, David Wolfford would not oblige. Then he responded: “I resemble that remark.”
Both Litton and Wolfford use the Keurig machine located in the teacher’s lounge. Similarly to the teachers, students tend to brew their coffee on their own rather than making a run to a coffee shop.
“I found it easier to just buy my coffee beans at Starbucks, and I can have as much as I want without having to pay if I want more,” says junior Amanda Martina.
Martina has been drinking coffee since the age of seven and has two cups every morning and one after dinner.
“I’d say I drink for taste. I’m kind of obsessed with this vanilla flavored coffee,” says Martina.
Studies show that the youth of America is drinking coffee at a much earlier age. While drinking caffeine does not stop growth, it can cause mood swings and alter sleep patterns – which the study suggests is highly important at a young age. A Harvard study adds that coffee drinkers are less likely to have Type 2 diabetes, cancer or Parkinson’s disease.
“Being a coffee-drinking individual lets me espresso myself!” says Martina humorously.
