Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

4 hours ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

6 hours ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

7 hours ago

US Strikes Destroyed Only One of Three Iranian Nuclear Sites, NBC News Reports

9 hours ago

US Seeks One-Day Sentence for Police Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor Case

10 hours ago

Manhattan Prosecutor Who Handled Epstein Cases Is Fired

11 hours ago

Why California Ag Is at Odds Over Converting Land to Solar Farms

11 hours ago

7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Alaska Coast. No Danger to California

1 day 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

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

DON'T MISS

Former Los Banos Teacher Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation Charges

DON'T MISS

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

DON'T MISS

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

DON'T MISS

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

DON'T MISS

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

DON'T MISS

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

DON'T MISS

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

DON'T MISS

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

DON'T MISS

Behind the Masks: Who Are the People Rounding Up Immigrants in California?

UP NEXT

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

UP NEXT

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

UP NEXT

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

UP NEXT

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

UP NEXT

Connie Francis, Whose Ballads Dominated ’60s Pop Music, Dies at 87

UP NEXT

Fresno Fire’s Rescue of 2-Year-Old in Locked Car Is a Reminder of Deadly Heat Risks

UP NEXT

Appeal Court Rejects Fresno County Challenge. DA and Sheriff Races Set for 2028

UP NEXT

FDA Approves Juul’s Tobacco and Menthol E-Cigarettes

UP NEXT

Israeli Strikes Kill 27 in Gaza, Three Die in Church Late Pope Often Spoke To

UP NEXT

Trump Cuts Decimate Hanford’s National Weather Service Office

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

3 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

3 hours ago

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

4 hours ago

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

4 hours ago

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

5 hours ago

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

5 hours ago

Behind the Masks: Who Are the People Rounding Up Immigrants in California?

5 hours ago

Homeowners With Solar Rise Up to Defang Bill Authored by Former Utility Executive

6 hours ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

6 hours ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

7 hours ago

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

LOS ANGELES – “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS will end in May 2026 after the upcoming broadcast season, the ne...

2 hours ago

Stephen Colbert arrives for the Saturday Night Live 50: The Anniversary Special at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, U.S., February 16, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

The crest of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File photo
2 hours ago

Former Los Banos Teacher Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation Charges

3 hours ago

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

Flares fired by Israel Defense Forces light the sky above Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 17, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
3 hours ago

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

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)
3 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter testifies on the "Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission" before the U.S. Senate Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security Subcommittee in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2018. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the dome of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
4 hours ago

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

A view of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
5 hours ago

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

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

Search

Send this to a friend