The CPHS staple grocer, the Wolfmart, has reopened welcoming students with the warm and loving hospitality of unpaid labor. So the obvious question is; “Well why did it close in the first place?” And my response to that is the most un-sarcastic Thanks Obama, because the loss of our precious store and Ramen is the result of LISD policy, called “Smart Foods”. 

The real problem as it always is: capitalism. Competition with the cafeteria is the defining argument for anti-Wolfmart administrators. Because some believe that the students purchasing from the Wolfmart will neglect to buy from the lunchroom. This puts the cafe at a stark disadvantage when considering the potential economic struggle resulting from clash. This debacle amongst the administrative powers comes at a cost to the Wolfmart. The Wolfmart was put on hold until a decision could be reached, however, one never was. The Wolfmart was permitted to reopen while the district deliberated. Mrs. Kimberly Stapleton, the business and management teacher, testifies that the Wolfmart is a staple of Cedar Park life and simultaneously “teaches students valuable management skill.”

“Smart Foods,” the new order on the state level, and the point at which this piece becomes opinion. “Smart foods” are just food that the school can sell, foods high in general nutrition. So because of the State’s lack of faith in its student’s restraint; they believe they are justified in stripping the schools of the ability to sell pizza that doesn’t taste like wet cardboard, Gatorade that doesn’t taste like a D battery in water, and pasta that doesn’t coagulate itself into a starchy soup. If you are offended by the food this school serves, do not blame the staff because, I’m sure, they are working their best within the parameters in which they can operate.

So the Wolfmart, though still standing, has been stripped of its versatility and commercial diversity, further supplementing to the state structured monopolization of “Smart Foods.”

So if you want to keep your Wolfmart, I strongly suggest you provide the claims of “non-compliance and competition,” with as little weight as possible by consuming both cafeteria food and Wolfmart products, because the ability to keep the store is up in the air and it’s anyone’s guess how it will land.

And I know you now wish for some sweet lulling and reassurance that the Wolfmart would never be justly removed from school use and that concept of “smart foods” is at the end of its rope and will probably be overturned. Or even that you, a student, can initiate any change. But from what it sounds, the district is most likely not in favor of the Wolfmart, “smart foods” will probably permeate the day-to-day in school, and there is close to nothing you can do about it. So join me in silent disapproval and solemn bows for the loss of a school staple, the Wolfmart.