SIMI SIGNS SODA DEAL.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - Students at Santa Susana High School can now experience the Joy of Pepsi, thanks to a five-year agreement approved this week by the Simi Valley school board.

Santa Susana joins the other high schools in the Simi Valley district with exclusive, multiyear sponsorship contracts for soda products. Royal and Simi high schools are in the seventh year of their 10-year contracts with Coca-Cola. Moorpark High School also has a contract with Coca-Cola.

The Pepsi contract comes with an immediate sponsorship donation of $23,000. A portion of that money has already been budgeted to pay for a new marquee sign in front of the school.

``We're hoping to have the sign installed within this quarter,'' said Santa Susana Assistant Principal Lynn Johnson. ``Other monies will help with various (Associated Student Body) projects, such as the Renaissance Program or campus dances.''

Simi Superintendent Kathryn Scroggin said the Pepsi contract would allow for 11 vending machines on the campus, with three of them dedicated strictly to Aquafina water and Gatorade, with the balance of the machines vending soda and soda products. In addition, Pepsi will donate 50 cases of 12-ounce bottles of product for use on campus during fund-raisers and other school events.

Camille Plant, who handles food service for Moorpark schools, said that the only campus that students can purchase a soda is Moorpark High School, which has an agreement with Coca-Cola.

``We used to sell sodas at the middle school, but now we only sell fruit juices and a new product called Switch,'' she said. The new product was developed to comply with new nutritional guidelines.

Current California law limits the sale of beverages at elementary schools to water, milk, 100 percent fruit juice or fruit-based drinks that are composed of no less than 50 percent fruit juice and that have no added sweeteners. It also restricts the times that carbonated beverages can be sold at junior high or middle schools, allowing sales only before school and after lunch periods.

That law, which takes effect Jan. 1, won't kick in unless schools are given additional state funds.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com