Staying hydrated in school is something everyone needs to practice. High school students should be drinking at least 2.6 liters of water daily, and a lot of students do not even drink a sip.

Monday through Friday, students come to school. The first class starts at 8:25 a.m. and the last class ends at 3:05 p.m. They go up and down the stairs, attend lunch, go to gym class, etc.

Most of the student athletes claim they would not drink from the fountains due to fear of water contamination, but Principal David Altizer addresses their concerns by saying the water fountains are safe to drink from.

“The bathroom pipes and and water fountain pipes are not connected, there’s no way they can get any cross contamination,” Altizer said.

Some people just do not own reusable bottles, or maybe their parents do not buy plastic ones, and with the metal detectors, some get discouraged because their metal cups might go off.

Some kids might not notice the effect it has on their bodies and attitudes, but not drinking enough water can have serious effects. Dehydration for teenagers could lead to reduced concentration, fatigue, headaches, reduced physical stamina, etc. Understanding the effects of not drinking enough water is important.

A lot of teachers feel they would not drink from certain water fountains as well.

Although students are responsible for themselves, I do believe that our administration could help. Anyone could go to the dollar store and get a reusable water bottle, but I do feel if we were provided with them it could have a positive effect. I know some administrators might not think it is a great idea because we could lose them, use them irresponsibly, take advantage of the opportunity, and a lot of things could go wrong, but just as many things could go right. Students might become more focused in class, more active in gym, maybe students will have better attitudes with each other as well as teachers.