Larned High School has been implementing new school rules this 2023-2024 school year. According to the LHS student handbook, it states, “Only water will be allowed in the building during the school day. Water must be consumed in a clear container.” Therefore, students are being deprived of cold water throughout the school day. This rule was implemented as a result of the large consumption of energy drinks within the school. However, the rule has resulted in students drinking less water. 

In previous years, students were constantly bringing energy drinks into the classroom, and the school administration was unhappy about the amount of these drinks that students were consuming each day. To prevent the consumption of energy drinks, the clear water bottle rule was implemented. This solution may solve the problem of energy drinks, but it creates the problem of dehydration. 

The solution for dehydration is a simple one. 81.7% of students at LHS firmly state that they drink less water this year due to their water being room temperature. While it is understood that changing the clear container rule might be hard to do, getting an ice machine for the high school students to use would be an easy and effective solution. 92.5% of students at LHS say that they would drink more water if they had access to cold water. If the LHS administration is going to ban insulated water bottles, they should in turn provide an ice machine for the students to use. 

Along with students in the school, student athletes could also benefit from an ice machine. Students often don’t have enough time to go home to get ice water before practice starts. If there was an ice machine in the high school, athletes would be able to get cold water for their practices. This could make a huge difference to outdoor sports, especially when heat illness is a concern. Cold water can be vital to staying hydrated during outdoor practice, especially when the football field can reach surface temperatures of 145 degrees! 

Before the start of this school year, there was an ongoing trend for new water bottles. Hydro flasks were ‘in’. Insulated containers were everywhere! Drinking water was what all the cool kids were doing, so everyone purchased their own insulated water bottles. Hydro flasks, tumblers, and Stanley Cups are all examples of cups that were purchased during this trend. These cups cost anywhere from $20 to $65! Then, students arrived at school on the first day, and they were told that their brand new sixty-five dollar cup was not allowed. These students then went home and returned to school with disposable, single use water bottles from Dillons. Single use water bottles are thrown away at the end of the day, therefore the prevention of insulated water bottles results in more plastic waste going into landfills. This problem could be prevented if the school would allow students to bring their own reusable water containers! 

From hot practices to wasteful plastic consumption, something clearly needs to be done. Either insulated water bottles should be allowed, or Larned High School should purchase an ice machine for students to use throughout the day. A simple ice machine would go a long way in helping students drink more water, and stay healthy and hydrated throughout the day and into practice.