It comes in many forms – dark, boiling, and bitter; light, sweet, and bubbly; smooth, cold, and refreshing.

I am referring to coffee, of course.

While in decades past, the idea of teenage student armies running on coffee may have seemed strange, walking down the halls of our school in the morning reveals this not-so secret addiction. Starbucks, Quik Trip, 7-11, or the coffee pot at home, wherever I get my coffee, it never seems to last as long as I want. As no food or drinks are allowed in the classroom, I have to have my glorious caffeinated beverage finished by the 8:05 bell.

Now, as I sit here singing coffee’s praises, I feel that, in the interest of full disclosure and transparency, it is safe to admit that I did not always like coffee. In fact, for the longest time, I told everyone I would never drink coffee. Coffee flavored things were all right, I would say, and Tiramasu is a gift from multiple deities, it tastes so good, but coffee itself it gross.

Then I discovered the right balance of coffee, milk, and way too much sugar, and since then, I have been wont to buy myself a cup of coffee on the bleakest of mornings in an attempt to force myself awake. Normally, I can wake myself up with coffee made at home, but sometimes, I just want a machine to do all the work for me.

Buying coffee every day is expensive and for most people our age, hardly practical. I certainly find it to be an unpractical solution. With this in mind, I tend to either reward myself with a coffee purchase in the morning or use it as a panacea for any ailments of energy deficiency.

Nothing feels better in biting winds than a hot cup of coffee between my hands for the long walk from my parking spot in the senior lot to the main doors. Nothing wakes me up like climbing out of bed and starting a pot of coffee, listening to the annoying gurgling noises that our cheap coffee maker emits.

I was not allowed to drink coffee as a child, and at the time, that was fine with me. Anymore, there are days that I feel I would not have survived without a cup of joe in the morning to keep me from falling asleep at my desk.

Coffee does have a downside, though. While it is full of caffeine, sweet, glorious caffeine, caffeine pills and caffeine shots have begun to monopolize the industry of procrastinators’ best friend. I remain true to the idea that coffee is the fuel of procrastination queens and kings.

While I have not shown up “fifteen minutes late with Starbucks” yet, it is only a matter of time before I do, and I am okay with that.

Ritenour’s coffee drinking population is not small, and I find myself proud to be a part of it. While I have accepted that I will someday be late to class because of a last minute coffee purchase, I have no plans to make that a daily occurrence, and no other students should, either. A quick caffeine fix, even after a long sleepless night of school work, is no excuse for constant tardiness.

I feel that other students will share my opinion on this, and even more so, I believe teachers can agree. While coffee is important to my own sanity, I have a hard time seeing a world where it is more important than my grades. When I enter the work force, stopping for coffee in the morning will be something I do only when I have the time. There is no time for tardiness when my job is on the line.

So Ritenour students, if showing up five minutes late with coffee is a habit, try showing up on time for once. Coffee is not for drinking in the classroom, and there are only so many times anyone can show up late with a delicious coffee before a caffeine addiction turns into a grade problem.