EHS executives decided to start the 2014-2015 school year off with a bang. This year, the entire school is stocked full with new vending machines that students seemingly adore. Contrary to popular belief, these new machines do not belong to the school; they are owned by the venders. Dr. Reikowski explains this as a process where the District 196 office puts out for bids, hoping to attract any companies with potential to vend to the schools in the area. Companies that are interested can put out a Request For Proposal, or an RFP for short.

Once Eagan High School received a fair number of RFPs, Wendy Knight, who works in the cafeteria, worked with some of these companies to create contracts. Some of the companies that bid were Midwest Vending, Coca Cola, and Pepsi.

“Once we got all the bids in,” Reikowski elaborates. “there was a committee that had to look at all of them and decide where we were getting the best deal.” The contracts were awarded to Midwest Vending for snacks and to Coca Cola for beverages. At the end of July, Pepsi had to come in to the school and remove all of their products.

The new machines had to be put in due to the changes in federal guidelines in terms of health code regulations. For example, the coffee machines that graced the halls of EHS just a year prior have now disappeared because of the updated health codes.

“The kitchen can’t sell bagels anymore,” said Reikowski. “because they have too much sodium in them.” Even with these regulations, students really appreciate the new vending machines and the districts’ endeavor for healthier schools.