Grand Junction, CO - When seventh-graders Beckett Carlton and Alec Pierce participated in the D51 Design Challenge at the end of March, they had no idea that the idea they presented - installing water bottle filling stations at their school - would come to fruition so quickly.
On Monday, April 11, they got to cut the ribbon on a new water bottle filling station in the seventh-grade hallway at their school, East Middle School. Soon, they will have another new water bottle filling station in the eighth-grade hallway. One already exists on the sixth-grade floor.
In March, D51 STEM hosted a Design Challenge with the theme "Water is Life." Alec and Beckett entered the challenge and zeroed in on faulty water fountains in their hallways. The boys learned through research and student surveys that adequate hydration is essential for learning, and that the sixth-grade class tended to feel most adequately hydrated because they had access to a water bottle filling station. In response to this data, Beckett and Alec proposed a solution to improve student hydration at East Middle School, but they didn't stop there. With the support of their teacher, Tina Sleigh, and EMS administration, Alec and Beckett were able to independently raise $1,800! Donors include Timberline Bank, Alpine Bank and the D51 Foundation.
The $1,800 raised is more than enough to install the filling stations. Since they will have excess funds, they will also be able to provide a stock of water bottles, which will be free to EMS students, so that they can always be adequately hydrated.