How Do Students Get Caffeine?
With many options to choose from, where does most of BHS get their fix?
Hundreds of students at BHS bring coffee or energy drinks to class, or maybe no drink at all, but not everyone brings Pickle Juice.
Over the past decade or so, bringing drinks to BHS has become increasingly popular. This research examines what drinks BHS students bring to school and why. After these past few weeks, 100 people were selected to participate, and about half actually completed it.
#5 CAFFINATED BEVERAGE FROM A COFFEE SHOP & MAKING YOUR OWN DRINK AT HOME:
While reviewing the results, only 5.7% of people would actually go to a coffee shop and purchase a caffeinated drink, and another 5.7% would make drinks at home and bring them to BHS. Anna Baumgard ’27 explains why she makes coffee at home and then brings it to school.
“I don’t drink anything too special.” Baumgard said, “I typically just drink black coffee that I make before school. The reason I drink black coffee is when I first started drinking coffee, my parents always made coffee with no creamer or sugar. So, I have just gotten used to drinking plain coffee.”
#4 NON-CAFFINATED BEVERAGE FROM A COFFEE SHOP:
8.6% of students at BHS get a non-caffeinated beverage from a coffee shop before school. Maryam Sonbol ‘29 is one of these students. She explains, depending on the day, she gets a different drink she also discusses how her drinks impact her schedule.
“Basically, about 3 times a week, I bring in a large strawberry dragonfruit refresher with lemonade.” Sonbol said, “It’s definitely my go-to because I get a ride on Mondays and Fridays from a senior friend who is on my gymnastics team, but other than that, my mom drives me or I ride the bus, but whenever my mom drives me, I get Dunkin, I also never bring my drink into my first hour, because I am 1 of 3 freshmen in a class of 31 juniors and 2 seniors. So, when my drink leaves condensation on the table, I don’t want to have to clean it up before the bell rings, and it would be embarrassing, so I leave it in my locker until 2nd block, where I have friends.”
#3 OTHER DRINKS NOT LISTED:
16.8% of students at BHS, didn’t consume any type of drinks that were listed. Mainly ranging from people bringing multiple drinks to even someone bringing pickle juice. Bryce Olson 26’ explains how bringing pickle juice to school impacts his day.
“My go-to drink is pickle juice mixed with lemon juice.” Olson said, “This is my go-to drink because of the sourness. Unfortunately, this drink makes my breath smell horrendous, so I usually bring a toothbrush to school so I can clean my mouth when I am done drinking my drink by 3rd hour.”
#2 BRINGING WATER / NOT BRINGING A DRINK
#1 CANNED CAFFEINATED BEVERAGE
A whopping 30.6% of people at BHS only bring water or don’t bring a drink at all. Guthrie Losstetter ‘27 explains why she only brings water to class, and Bryce Hribal ’26 also explains why he chooses to bring a Celsius to school.
“I only bring water because I never have any time to get anything else,” Losstetter said “I’ve never been a big fan of energy drinks, or at least not big enough to buy a lot of packs and drink one every day. So water it is.”
“A Celsius,” Hribal said, “ because it’s not so sugary, it seems to have enough sugar and caffeine, and it gives me just enough of a boost to last a school day.”
This research explains how many students at BHS have a wide variety of drinks that they bring to school, and how it explains their routine or their lifestyle, whether it’s a Redbull from the gas station on the way to school because they don’t have time to get one the night before, or bringing pickle juice because people enjoy the sourness of it.
