A popular classroom resource in the Family and Consumer Science classrooms was shut off after an increase in misuse by students.

The ice machine was originally purchased for culinary use, and became a hotspot for students across the school. According to FACS teacher Lexie Dill, what started as occasional use quickly turned into a larger issue. 

“For the most part, we were using the ice machine in class,” Dill said. “Then culinary students wanted ice… and then the word started to get around.”

Soon, students from other classes began coming in, sometimes without permission. 

“We started seeing more and more students coming in… and then we started seeing them sneak in,” Dill said. “They would come in groups of 2-3, with three or four cups in their hands.”

The crowd created safety concerns. Dill describes students bumping into each other, and some students even taking the food that culinary students were preparing. 

“We don’t have a lot of space in here,” Dill said. “We had an incident where somebody started taking some of the food that students were making.”

The situation escalated further when the misuse began cutting into the classroom funding.

“They would take reusable cups from that classroom over there… put ice in their shirts, their hands, or grab paper plates,” Dill said. “Those paper plates are pretty pricey, so that definitely started adding up.”

Health concerns also played a role in the decision to shut down the ice machine. “Ice is highly susceptible to bacteria, and I had no clue if these outsider students had washed their hands,” Dill said. 

A large group of students entering at once ultimately led to action. 

“We had a group of seven come in,” Dill said. 

FACS teacher Natalie Kerr also noted the disruption caused by students was cutting down on instruction and class time. 

“A lot of students that we don’t even have in class kept coming in and interrupting class to get it,” Kerr said. 

While some students were disappointed by the change, teachers say the machine is essential for instruction. “The ice machine was purchased specifically for this class,” Dill said. “It actually helps cool food down. The type of ice we got is specific to help the food service.”

The machine has since been turned back on under closer supervision, with stricter expectations in place. “We are monitoring it and hoping that we can keep it on,” Dill said. “We are hoping that students are respectful of it.”

For now, access to the machine remains limited. As Kerr put it, “the ice machine is only for the students we have in class.”