Gloomily making their way out of their classes with droopy eye bags and slouchy postures, many students can only imagine the gift of being able to wake themselves up with the delectable frozen treat that is ice cream. 

For many years, this was not imaginary. It was a beautiful reality. 

That is why I push University Prep, for the sake of its students’ wishes and well beings, to thoughtfully consider bringing back ice cream to the Commons Cafe.

The 2019-2020 school year started off very promising. The positive changes taking place around our school were hard to ignore. Among all these positives, one serious negative alteration stuck out like a sore thumb. 

Where did the ice cream go?

I recall the horror as I was first alerted of this sorrowful news. On the first day of freshman year, I strolled to the back of the renovated cafe, only to find the cooler in which I have so deeply cherished for years, now ceased to exist.

For me, ice cream was a way to cope. A way for me to get through an exhausting day and a terribly long commute to school. It was something sweet I looked forward to when trying to overcome all the stressors overwhelming me. 

After casual conversations with the Commons Cafe staff, I was able to discover the reasons why students have been denied this privilege. The cause for the removal of ice cream in the commons was rather disappointing. 

Other than the issues surrounding suppliers, it has been revealed to me that through a mutual agreement between the Uprep administration and the commons staff, Uprep has decided that ice cream is not worth the fuss because it can be acquired anywhere.

When I first attended UPrep in seventh-grade, I was unfamiliar with the commons and was surprised to see a variety of chips and sweet beverages available for purchase.  However, what really left me stunned was my discovery of that ice cream cooler.  

The argument that ice cream is easily accessible is flawed. The flavors that the cooler contained resembled that of an ice cream truck. I may like ice cream, but my desperation is not enough for me to consider waiting around for an ice cream truck to appear. An average student does not carry a portable cooler in their backpack on a day to day basis. Chips do not melt, ice cream does. 

It has been about 2 years since ice cream was removed from the cafe inventory. During these past two years, I did not have the chance to share my concerns due to the restrictions of remote learning. As our school is yet again undergoing massive changes, this is the best time to bring attention to this issue.

With the construction of the new building, I hope Uprep’s administration can make some space both physically and figuratively for ice cream and a better and brighter future.