June 6, 2023

Promoting healthy lifestyles in school is an important part of a child’s well-being. With a new Ohio Environmental Protection Agency grant, additional hydration options will now be available to Fairview Park City School District students, in addition to benefitting the environment. 

In November, the district applied for a Recycle Ohio grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. In April, the district was notified it received $9,875 to install or retrofit existing water fountains in schools with bottle filling stations.

“I would say the greater majority of kids bring a water bottle just about everywhere they go,” Michael Matthews, director of operations at the Fairview Park City School District explained. “Especially at Gilles-Sweet, it will be a huge improvement, simply because we haven’t had the access to do it.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children older than eight need about 7 to 8 cups of water daily. Proper hydration helps keep joints and teeth healthy, promotes better blood circulation, and can help children with their focus and concentration.

In the Fairview Park City School District, 12 water fountains have already been retrofitted with the new bottle-filling stations over the last five years. An additional five fountains have been completely replaced. 

The focus for this round of grant funding is at Gilles-Sweet and to help in areas like outside the gym and near the playground where students routinely gather. The district will upgrade two of the four double water fountains at the school to include a bottle-filling station.

“We’re trying to locate them in highly trafficked areas to promote easy access to sustainable solutions,” Matthews added. “The cost to do it at Gilles-Sweet is more than double the cost of what it would cost us at the high school. It’s a much more difficult retrofit because they are built-in water fountains.”

Besides promoting healthier lifestyles, the Ohio EPA intends to reduce the number of single-use water bottles students use. In a press release from the Ohio EPA, the agency highlights the statewide “Three Rs” initiative, encouraging schools to reduce, reuse and recycle.

“I like the ecological impact it can have,” Matthews said. “But I also like the health promotion of just drinking water and being healthy. There was a time there when people stopped turning to water and were turning to so many alternative choices. It’s just part of the package of trying to continue to provide healthy options and choices for kids.”

Matthews anticipates the district will complete the fountain upgrades by the beginning of next school year. In addition, Fairview Park City Schools will continue to apply for these grants to ensure to address additional fountains in the district.

“I’ve added quite a few over the last couple of years,” Matthews expressed. “This round of grants will probably get us close, if not to 100%, of where we want to be. If we’re not, we will absolutely apply for another round.”