Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

2 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

2 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

3 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

3 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

3 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

3 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

3 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

3 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

3 days ago
Robotics Club Idea Brings Clean Drinking Water to Central Unified
By Myles Barker
Published 7 years ago on
August 29, 2018

Share

A Robotics Club discussion at Saroyan Elementary School is changing the way all students drink water at Central Unified.
The idea of getting filtered-water stations installed at every school in the district turned into reality when Saroyan Elementary secured a nearly $55,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente for 26 Elkay filtered-water stations.

“I really like to make a change, and I think we succeeded with that.” — Central Unified student Ella Newton

26 Stations To Be Installed

Sonja Dosti, the communications and public relations officer for Central Unified, said 23 stations will be installed at every one of Central’s 23 school buildings, with the remaining three at the district’s offices.
“We are grateful to Kaiser that they are very community minded and give a lot of resources to our district for our students,” Dosti said.

Fixing Widespread Problems

Ella Newton, who is now a seventh-grader at Rio Vista Middle School, said she thought the idea was a good answer to a question posed at her after-school robotics club: What change would you make to fix a problem involving water?
“At first we were thinking of things we could do with the lakes, rivers, and oceans,” Newton said. “But then we decided that we would do something about our schools since our water fountains didn’t work that well.”
In addition, Newton and her peers were concerned about how sanitary the water fountains were.
“I don’t know what was in the water,” Newton said, adding, “some days it would taste different than other days.”


Dosti said the filtered-water stations will put student contamination fears to rest.
What is great about these filtered-water stations is that you can put your water bottle underneath the spout and then it pours directly into the water bottle,” she said. “That way there is no exchange of germs.”
Newton said she is appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of a positive change: “I really like to make a change, and I think we succeeded with that.”

Robotics Coach: Students Are Leaders

Victoria Reed, coach of the robotics club, said she couldn’t be happier with what her students accomplished.
“It was a really good experience for them to be able to realize that they can be leaders and they can get something done,” said Reed, a school psychologist at Saroyan Elementary. “This is a big deal for our district and the kids are really proud of the work they did.”
Photo of poster outlining Central Unified grant application
 

Installations Underway

Dosti said several of the filtered-water stations are already up and running and the project should be done by year’s end. She said every station will be located near a cafeteria.
In addition to the filtered-water stations, Dosti said all of Central Unified’s 16,000 students will receive a reusable plastic bottle donated by Kaiser.

“It was a really good experience for them to be able to realize that they can be leaders and they can get something done.” —Victoria Reed, coach of the robotics club at Saroyan Elementary.
“That is good from an environmental perspective because it is teaching kids about recycling,” Dosti said.
Central Unified Superintendent Andrew Alvarado said he is pleased with securing the grant for the water stations.
“We are super excited about the partnership and the opportunity to access the grant through Kaiser Permanente,” he said.
Newton said she can’t wait until the filtered-water stations are installed at her middle school.
“I am really excited.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

DON'T MISS

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

UP NEXT

Fresno Police to Conduct DUI Checkpoint on Fourth of July, Boost Holiday Patrols

UP NEXT

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

UP NEXT

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

UP NEXT

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

UP NEXT

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

UP NEXT

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

UP NEXT

Riverdale High School Coach Arrested for Allegedly Arranging to Meet Minor

UP NEXT

After Record Democratic Speech, House Republicans Begin Final Vote on Trump Tax-Cut Bill

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

2 days ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

2 days ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

2 days ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

2 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

2 days ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

2 days ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

2 days ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

2 days ago

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

2 days ago

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

2 days ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

Can you hear it — that loud roar coming from the East? It’s the sound of 1.4 billion Chinese laughing at us. Thomas L. Friedman The New Yo...

19 hours ago

Solar Farm in Riesel, Texas
19 hours ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

Caitlin Clark Signs T-Shirt
20 hours ago

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 days ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

The Madre Fire burning near New Cuyama has scorched 70,801 acres as of Friday, July 4, 2025, afternoon, making it California’s largest wildfire of the year, with only 10% containment and multiple evacuation zones in place. (CalFire)
2 days ago

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

2 days ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

A pumpjack operates at the Vermilion Energy site in Trigueres, France, June 14, 2024. (Reuters File)
2 days ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 days ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

Billy Wayne Sinisgalli, a 54-year-old transient known locally as Wayne, was found dead along a rural Fresno road Wednesday in what authorities are investigating as a suspicious death. (Fresno County SO)
2 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend