When walking into VHHS, on can see the foyer is filled with students and faculty holding their coffee cups and energy drinks to fuel themselves for the school day.
For Computer Science teacher Adam Lueken, coffee has been and will continue to be his go-to drink.
“[I started drinking coffee] at my first real job. I went all of college without coffee,” Lueken said. “Then, at my first job, there was a four-hour presentation, and I was falling asleep. Someone mentioned there was free coffee, and I haven’t stopped drinking it since.”
Lueken explained that his daily caffeine intake is four cups of plain black coffee. Similarly to Lueken, a survey conducted by TSP showed that 5.7% out of 137 students prefer their coffee black.
However, 87.2% out of 106 students reported they prefer their coffee sweetened. Among these coffee drinkers is Nicholas Mashchenko (11), whose favorite types of coffee are frappuccinos as well as both hot and iced coffee.
“My favorite flavors that go with those coffees are chocolate and caramel,” Mashchenko said.
Cafe 145 is VHHS’s cafe. For Mashchenko, it is a necessity.
“Cafe 145 and coffee is very important to VHHS, and I can’t imagine going to school without having the cafe there,” Mashchenko said.
Melissa Martinez has been working as a barista at Cafe 145 for the past three years. Along with traditional drinks, Martinez also creates seasonal drinks featured at the cafe.
“In December, peppermint mochas are popular,” Martinez said. “After winter break, I bring out Valentine’s Day drinks like strawberry matchas and strawberry hot chocolates. Right now, it’s the Blondie and the Sham-rock Shake.”
During her time at VHHS, Martinez has noticed that students prefer the flavor of coffee over the amount of caffeine in the drink. Out of 111 students, 47.7% of them said they drink coffee more for the flavor than for the caffeine.
There are other nearby options for coffee besides Cafe 145, such as Dunkin’ and Starbucks.
“If I need something quick, [I’ll go to] Starbucks or Dunkin’. But [for most days] I like Con- scious Cup, Liberty and Panera,” Courtney Ralph (12) said.
For Ralph, getting coffee allows her to spend time with her friends. From behind the counter, Martinez has noticed how coffee has created a sense of community within the student population.
“I see students come with their friends, order drinks, and hang out together,” Martinez said.
Along with the sense of community gained from coffee, it has also created a sense of reliance for many students in their everyday lives. For example, Mashchenko finds himself drinking coffee every other day. Similarly, Ralph relies on coffee to get through a long day.
“[I rely on coffee to stay awake] when I have a long day or week or didn’t get much sleep. I drink it in the morning and sometimes later. I try not to drink it past 5 p.m.,” Ralph said.
This reliance applies not only to students but also to faculty.
“I’ll fall asleep immediately in meetings or during longlectures, but coffee helps me stay awake—at least ten minutes longer,” Lueken said.