As gas prices continue to rise, PHS students and staff are feeling the impact. Here, a tanker delivers gasoline to the Casey's gas station. Photo by: Matthew Libersky
By Matthew Libersky
In late February, the price of gasoline increased dramatically overnight. Though they have yet to reach the $4.00 level seen a couple years ago, this dramatic increase was definitely noticed by PHS students and staff who drive.
Junior Zoe Mack, who recently moved from LaVille, has to drive to school every day because she lives beyond the area where school buses travel. With a (total) 30-mile commute every day, she definitely had to alter her habits in the wake of the increase in gas prices.
“My family thinks it is ridiculous, and I agree,” Mack said. “When gas prices were lower, I could go a lot more places and not have to worry about running out of money by the time I got to where I was going.”
The price of gas has not only affected her free-time activities, but also trips outside of, but for school. She planned on going on college trips during Spring Break, but she was not able to.
She said that she does not remember gas prices being over $4.00, but it would not surprise her if they kept rising. “However, they almost always seem to come back down and level out,” Mack said.
“Obama should reopen drilling in the Gulf of Mexico,” Mack said, referring to the lasting closing of oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP oil spill. “Then, the prices [should] go down. It’s ridiculous to keep them closed. “
This jump in gas prices also affected PHS teachers — like Spanish teacher Mrs. Delia Gadziola. On top of driving to and from school, she said that she also has to drive her children around often.
“I was not surprised [that the price of gas went up],” Mrs. Gadziola said. “Compared to the rest of the world, our gas prices are fairly cheap.”
Additionally, she said that when she was in Indianapolis, the price of gas was about 30 cents lower than in Plymouth.
One of the most prominent reasons for this recent spike is the recent unrest in many of the oil-producing Middle East nations. As political stability in countries like Libya is threatened, so is a large portion of the U.S.’s oil supply.