Cleek complained to the school board about soft drinks and snacks available at the schools Sept. 6.

This week, BCHS principal Pete Pitard said, "I'm not opposed to changing what we put in the machines, but what I do object to is the fact that schools are the scapegoat for every issue in our society." Pitard feels educators are often blamed for problems beyond their ability to address, and schools are simply a reflection of society. Remedies the school is supposed to institute must be reinforced outside a seven-period day to get results, he says.

"We should be involved in promoting good health decisions, but we can't be blamed for issues of obesity," Pitard said. "It's not going to resolve the issue … none of this works if it's not reinforced outside of school."

BCHS has a three-year contract with Coca-Cola, by which the schools get a percentage of the profits from the six drink machines on campus. BCHS makes $7,800 a year on their sales.

Pitard says he is willing to change what's in the machines to appease unhappy school board members until the contract is up, at which point, Pitard says, "I'm going to go with whatever the school board says on this issue."

Cleek said students should be offered a more healthful variety of snacks. "This is not happening in Bath County," he said last Thursday, "In the Roanoke area, soft drinks were taken out of the schools completely."

Cleek is passionate a change needs to be made, and the school should sell granola instead of nabs. "I had understood they had made a change, but they still have the same variety," he said, adding he had checked the vending area in the vocational department in the past week and noticed no difference. "We've got to try to guide students."

Pitard said the variety in the vending machines that sell snacks have nothing to do with Coca-Cola. "We use Mountain Vending snack machines, but we don't make a great commission off those things," he said, explaining the company stocks the machines with granola, and some low-carb items in addition to the usual nabs and potato chips. BCHS makes a yearly profit of $1,300 from Mountain Vending compared to the $7,800 from the Coca-Cola machines.

Pitard argues no matter what is carried in the school's machines, kids are going to practice eating habits they learn at home, or from those they pick up from friends and other students.

Plenty of Mountain Dew bottles are among the school's rubbish, he noted, and that product isn't sold in any of the campus machines.

"This is an issue in our society," says Pitard, "and school is just a reflection of that."

Except for one in the shop areas, all vending machines are on timers, he said. They are shut off from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily. Pitard said the vocational area is modeled closely after the real working world, and because shop students get breaks throughout the day, the machine in that area runs all the time.

Pitard spoke highly of the school's cafeteria program, saying it offers a good variety, and healthy alternatives. There is a salad bar, and even its french fries are low-carb. All bread is homemade, and Pitard says the staff works hard to meet and exceed federal guidelines.

Also, the cafeteria vending machines contain more juice and water, and like others, are off until after 1:30 p.m.

Last year, Pitard suggested improving the physical education program might do more to combat obesity than getting rid of the drink machines; more exercises have been added since then, and low-impact activities that could be continued after high school are slowly trickling into the program, says Pitard.

Bath Community Hospital's Rehab and Wellness Center is scheduled to conduct an in-service at the high school in addition to several mini-sessions coordinated through the health department.

Pitard said if the school board did not renew its Coca-Cola contract, the revenue would be missed. "We'll have to come up with other ways to make money," said Pitard. He contacted Coke about increasing the amount of juice, water, and flavored water in its machines. Though he hasn't heard back from the company, "They seemed willing to accommodate us, but obviously they aren't exactly happy about it," he said.

The revenue from such contracts is important to small schools like BCHS, Pitard says, which isn't high up on anyone's lists to receive grant money in the near future. "We need a new intercom system. We need new scoreboards. We need a new football field that will cost $ 1 million plus; and if we can't afford a ball field, we sure can't afford score boards … Those are the kinds of things this money helps with."

BCHS Student Cooperative Association president Sarah Campbell said, "Even if we take the machines out, kids will bring food with them anyway."

SCA secretary Erin Plecker added, "I say it's your choice what you eat." None of the four students asked felt snack machines were contributing to the national problem of obesity in youth.

Highland High School principal Randy Hooke said nothing has changed there since last year - the only soft drinks sold on Highland's campus are at ball games.

To date, Millboro and Valley elementary schools are without soft drink contracts and do not see the need for any. Both have few drink machines; ones they have are used mostly for after-school events. They're off-limits to students during the school day.

MES principal Martha Reish does not see soda as a main contributor to obesity. "Our lifestyles have changed over the years-we watch more television, we play video games, and don't have the physical type of chores that would have been done in the past. We continue to eat large portions and much processed food."

Les Balgavy, principal at VES, says he hasn't noticed his students bringing many unhealthy snacks.

During lunch Monday at the BCHS cafeteria, mostly milk and juice were on the trays - not a soda can in sight.

Pitard said, "We don't permit the kids to have outside food during lunch time unless they've packed it." He says though he hasn't seen a lot of progress with students' eating habits, "there is some. I have seen kids bring healthy snacks, and I've seen kids, especially young ladies, who eat salads."

In general, Pitard concluded, "kids don't read labels."