Rumor has it that there was a time here at Groton School when potato chips flew off the shelves of the school store. There is evidence that around the time of the dinosaurs, candy was sold in vast quantities down the hall from the old mailroom. Historians are debating whether it’s possible that students could ever find commodities such as cereal bars and candy within the campus gates.
For the answers, I stop at the school store, which is overflowing with Groton sweatshirts, neatly-organized highlighters, and assorted school-spirit paraphernalia. Hidden away next to the checkout counter are three round shelves full of snacks you can’t find in the dining hall, at a location far more convenient than the nearest CVS.
The expert on school store history is Peggy Duffy, the woman in charge of ordering inventory and ringing people up, who’s been at Groton longer than most students have been alive. She tells me of times when potato chips were a bestseller, followed closely by peanut butter crackers—not healthy but not horrendous in moderation. More recently, you could find Illy coffee drinks, sugary Cheerio bars, and at the beginning of this fall, peppermint patties.
Many students don’t deeply miss the wider assortment of snacks. Sixth formers Christine Bernard and Melissa Lammons remember the variety fondly but think that with free bagels, fruit, and coffee from the café, it’s a moot point. Faye Tian ’19 would like to see beef jerky and chocolate, specifically Twix, but it’s not the first thing on her mind when she wakes up in the morning.
If students were buying these snacks, and the school was making money off them, why did they go?
Even Peggy isn’t sure, but it’s most likely an initiative headed by the school dietician to make unhealthy food harder to come by. However, it’s no secret that those who want a junk food stash can get it—probably cheaper—online. Caroline Johnston ’17 thinks the school “should give the student body the liberty of deciding whether or not they want to eat unhealthy food.”
Candy is gone. Kind bars are on their way out due to nut allergies. Peggy will be stocking the store with new goodies including vegan fig bars, pretzels, and Goldfish.
We are spoiled here at Groton: mugs, bagels, t-shirts. We can’t expect the school store to stock everyone’s favorites. If you’re hungry, grab a banana or a bagel, and if you really crave sweets, get them on your own. Those who would only eat candy if it were put in front of them will be better off without it, and those who actively seek it out will find a way.