HHS students part of milk study
Staff writer
Hillsboro High School and Middle School certainly have milk. Students are receiving milk not just from the cafeteria but also from a vending machine in the commons area.
According to high school principal Dale Honeck, the school was approached by Midwest Dairy to place a milk vending machine at the school.
Honeck said that the vending machines are already in place at schools such as Wichita and Buhler, but the association wanted to experiment to see how they would fare in smaller school districts with 250-300 students.
Approximately 10 Kansas schools were selected including HHS/HMS, Marion, and Inman.
"We agreed to do it on a trial basis," Honeck said.
So HHS/HMS received its milk vending machine in November, but there were "bugs" in the machine that needed to be worked out at first.
By the middle of November, the machine was up and running. The machine has operated for 11 days in November and 17 days in December.
Hiland milk items offered include whole, two percent, chocolate, orange, and strawberry. String cheese is also available and in the near future yogurt cups. Chocolate is the most popular milk item.
The school is responsible for ordering, replenishing, and paying for the products to the vending machine company.
"We struggled at first," Honeck said. "But, sales were successful during the basketball tournament and other games."
Honeck feels because of its strategic placement, the machine is accessible to middle schoolers and high schoolers and those coming and going from the gymnasiums.
Currently, Honeck is responsible for checking expiration dates and replenishing the machine, but the goal is to have a group take over the project.
"We would like to see groups such as FFA, FFCLA or a market management class, take over the project," he said.
Right now, Honeck is "the milk man," as he calls himself. Profits from the machine go to the peer helpers group.
Honeck said the drawback for him is that the schools would have to pay for the machines which cost $1,200 annually over a three-year period or $3,600 total.
"It's not like the contract we have with Coke. They provide the machine and the products," Honeck said. "We need to make $100 a month for the three years in order to pay for the machine."
According to Honeck's calculations, they will have to sell approximately 240 bottles of milk each month at $1 per bottle.
The school's six-month trial-basis contract will expire in April. A decision of whether to go ahead and purchase the machine will be made on the basis on how much profit can be generated.
As to whether having the milk vending machines infringes on the cafeteria business, HHS/HMS food service director Theresa Bernhardt said, "No."
"I think it is a good idea to have the milk vending machine," she said. "I love to see the kids walking in the halls drinking a bottle of milk rather than carrying a Coke."
Honeck said, "I'm glad to have milk as an option. We're also looking at other products that offer more healthy drinks."
