Emma Narvaez
You may be familiar with the High School Student Council’s annual Valentine’s Grams project, where KitKats and heartfelt notes are tucked into desks courtesy of friends, secret admirers, and even teachers. Nestle’s trademark red wrappers and the satisfying crunch of chocolate wafer bars have become a staple part of the annual celebration of love and friendship here at Saint Maur. However, this year, in response to concerns over Nestle’s unethical production practices, the HSSC made the bold decision to replace Nestle’s beloved KitKats for Montoile’s Bon o Bons.
The decision was made under the tenure of Sarah (G12), the HSSC’s previous executive president, who immediately took action in response to such concerns. She explained that one student suggested that the HSSC “change who [they] source from and try to support local businesses, or at least ones that aren’t harmful to society.” Sarah mentioned that child labor and poor sourcing of materials were just two among many reasons contributing to Nestle’s perceived ethical shortcomings.
The decision to boycott Nestle posed challenges for the HSSC, particularly in terms of profitability and logistics. Sarah expressed the difficulty faced due to Nestle’s affordability, acknowledging the significant profits that could be made from using their products, especially for fundraising purposes. In addition, Yuta (G11), the recently appointed HSSC executive president, explained that finding KitKat’s replacement also created complications, stating, “KitKats were something we’ve been doing for a long time and we knew everyone liked it, so we were pretty nervous about if everyone would welcome this change.”
The HSSC decided to use Bon o Bons in place of Nestle’s KitKats, which are manufactured by Montoile, a Japanese confectionery wholesaler. Being that the Valentine’s Grams project was Yuta’s first initiative as the HSSC executive president, he initially had some concerns about whether it would be successful with competition from the MSSC’s Valentine’s Grams and other popular CAS projects running simultaneously. However, with a 8,000 yen profit, Yuta confirmed that the HSSC “were pretty happy in how things turned out at the very end.”
Moving forward with his presidency term, Yuta drew from this experience that “it’s really important to take into account all ideas, not just from the student council representatives or the executives, but everyone in the student body,” he stated. Both Yuta and Sarah concurred that this shift was the necessary move to take, showcasing their commitment to responsible consumerism and accountability within the school community.
Emma Narvaez