When you get thirsty, what’s your first go-to beverage of choice? For many people, it’s water- usually available for free and a healthy option. It can be iced, slightly chilled, tepid, or hot depending on your preference. Water can be converted to coffee or tea if you are looking for a little something with pizzazz. There are also many powders you can add to water to make it sweet or tangy. 

For some Ripon students, water may be the basis for their drink of choice, but they aren’t free! There are a plethora of drinks available in stores and restaurants- energy drinks, fruity drinks, sweet drinks, and fizzy drinks. The point is, they all cost something. Fortunately, for those wanting a beverage with a bang, they don’t have to lay out a ton of money. 

Students who frequent the downtown area at lunch or after school all know about the value they can find at Dollar Tree. Closer to campus than many other food or beverage options, Dollar Tree offers a wide selection of drinks, including bottled water! For those wanting their drinks cold, they keep a large variety in the refrigerated section of the store. 

“Sugary drinks taste good. If they’re not sugary, they just taste plain. The sugar makes it better,” said Hannah Lehr, freshman. 

Lehr is certainly one end of a long spectrum. Many people prefer to have drinks with less sugar, either as a matter of taste preference or dietary restrictions. 

“I don’t like sweet drinks. I like drinks with sugar in them, but I don’t really like sweet drinks,” said Kieryn Storz, Freshman. 

Dollar Tree has options for both at a fraction of the cost of buying elsewhere. The location also helps her and other students get something to eat and drink and still make it back in time for their next class. Based on the depleted drink racks and shelves at the end of lunch are any indication, quite a few Ripon High students have found this financial oasis in their search for the perfect beverage.