An All-Time High: With gas prices rising and affecting everyone, some have a bigger effect than others, like high school students.

As weeks pass, gas prices have skyrocketed, with a $3-4 average gallon price in most states — with Kansas averaging at $3.78 per gallon according to GasBuddy. These increasingly unhinged prices remain unreliable, and some are beginning to discuss the possibility of “fixed gas prices.” 

 While the rise in gas prices has affected every driver, some — even high schools — have been hit harder than others. 

The factor responsible for these high prices and demand for gasoline? The Russian invasion of Ukraine. With the world’s largest and third largest oil producing countries being the U.S and Russia respectively, Russia has began to worry of a disrupted supply caused by current events — the fear resulting in a 24% gas rise in retail sales. According to Forbes News, if Russia continues this aggression towards Ukraine, gas prices will likely remain elevated.

These raised prices can be difficult to be met by students working minimum-wage jobs after a seven-hour school day. Gas is expensive for everyone, but when prices rise, the struggle for saving “gas money” and not “wasting money” sets in for teenage students working base-paying shifts.

Owner of a green 2007 Jeep Wrangler junior Sarah McConwell expects a shift in summer plans due to the high gas prices.

McConwell will have to use her minimum-wage lifeguarding job to pay for gas in order to continue her second job as carpool driver for her friend group this summer — Jeeps are the car of the summer, after all. Before rising prices, McConwell was paying around $45 for a full tank of gas in her 18-gallon Jeep, now it’s up to $57. A big jump for McConwell.

“Everytime I’m with friends, they always ask, ‘Can you drive?’ since the doors and top are off of my Jeep,” McConwell said.

Having a fun, doorless Jeep leads to McConwell always being behind the wheel. But with high prices in the air, this may not continue. 

Junior Cole Jackson — driver of a Ford F-150 — is now paying around $125 for a full tank of gas instead of his usual $70-80 tank. Jackson’s truck holds up to 36 gallons and burns through gas rather quickly, as well as having a higher gas cost than the average car. Jackson also has had to make differences in his everyday routine with the high gas prices.

“I go to Missouri now to buy gas,” Jackson says. “It saves me so much more money than filling up in Kansas.”

Gas prices in many states are averaging $1-2 more than Kansas and Missouri, California — currently the most expensive gas in the country — averaging $5.59 while Kansas is averaging $3.78 and Missouri $3.75 according to USAToday. 

With the rising prices, both McConwell and Jackson are only two, of not only teenagers, but many Americans who are dealing with these prices.