Hydration Clashes with Sanitation

Nevada experiences some of the hottest heat waves and neighbors one of the hottest places on Earth, Death Valley. Staying hydrated during the school day is essential for students in order for them to stay healthy and reach their full academic potential. With Covid-19 restrictions decreasing and society assimilating back to normal, assessing public amenities such as water fountains is needed. 

Upon returning to school in March 2021, contact regulations imposed by the Center of Disease Control restricted student access to water fountains. As of October 6, 2022, select water fountains around campus became available to Sierra Vista High School students, and work orders for the remaining non-operating fountains requested by the school. However, recent speculation about the cleanliness of the fountains concerns students. Students intentionally avoid the fountains and resort to waiting until the school day is over or seek water from either peers or teachers. 

In terms of sanitary issues, several studies show that water fountains remain as some of the “germiest” places. In the Bright, Boone, and Gerba (2010) study, water fountain knobs and push buttons were the most contaminated surfaces per area. The study also noted that with frequent disinfection the likeliness of illness would be reduced. The current working fountains at Sierra Vista High School regularly get cleaned by the custodians. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention advises students to bring water from home. Bringing water from home may be the safest and most suitable way for students to stay hydrated throughout the day. Fortunately, Hydroflasks gained popularity among students over the past few years motivating students to carry their own water source. Bringing water from home

becomes difficult and inconvenient. Students must ration their water in order for it to sustain the entire school day. Therefore, refillable water bottle stations or hands free water fountains would be beneficial for students allowing them to stay hydrated throughout the day. UNLV and select high schools around the nation consider the importance of hydration and include refillable water bottle stations around their campuses. Sierra Vista does not plan to participate in this upgrade, however, there is currently an ongoing proposal in favor of adding refillable water stations for students. 

The proposal currently receives support from the Crossings Church, Sierra Vista Staff, and students. Proposed by senior Aidan Operana in September, the request progresses after receiving approval from the first committee. Operana shares “I have been wrestling since freshman year and have made it a habit to pack two to three water bottles on top of my forty ounce flask just to make it through the day. Even then, I would often run out of water by the end of the day and go home dehydrated. I noticed that a lot of my teammates were chronically dehydrated as well or carried around a whole gallon of water with them for the entirety of the school day. I couldn’t find a place to refill my water bottle as the water fountains were often out of order or just plain dirty. Furthermore, during a campus cleanup for Key Club, I realized that there were empty water bottles scattered throughout campus. This influenced me to pursue filtered water bottle refilling stations that could attach to our existing water fountains.” 

The upgrade will be a costly and constructive process as certain parts of the school will need renovation. In order for students to receive a reliable and upgraded water source, voicing their concern is essential which has not been done yet according to Mr Rickards 

Derryck Rickards [Sierra Vista HS] . If the proposal is approved, the goal is to have seven refillable water stations distributed around campus. Students can reach out to other people andcommunicate their support to the Crossings Church so that refillable water stations can be installed on Sierra Vista’s campus by next school year.