As the school year enters into the second quarter, you may have seen a few changes to Reagan’s utilities.

     It is tradition for the graduating senior class to gift their school with a beneficial present.

In years past, the seniors have presented the school with a final “goodbye” and “thank you” gift to the school. Murals, flower beds, benches, and teal paint to cover the walls have been given throughout Reagan’s 13 years.

This year’s senior gift came sooner than one might have expected. The Class of 2019 gave Reagan new water bottle filler stations. Reagan used the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School System’s vendor to purchase the stations from Halsey Taylor. The company values themselves as an innovative and sanitary way to drink more water.

The first of the stations was installed by the locker rooms on Nov. 7 and have continued to slowly pop up around the school. Reagan will install 14 total stations throughout this school year.

The stations were purchased through senior dues and generous donations from parents and sponsors. The senior officers of the Student Government Association voted on the gift at meetings this past year.

“We deliberated what the gift should be at the Senior SGA meetings and determined that the water stations would be a beneficial gift for students and staff alike,” said Student Body Vice-President Jack Turner.

The water stations allow students to refill their own water bottle, and they also help to eliminate the overuse of plastic bottles. The company stands by their motto to help lower the number of plastic bottles that end up in landfills. A unique feature on these stations are that they track the number of plastic bottles saved from waste by refilling a personal bottle.

“I think the stations are a great way to implement reusable bottles,” said junior Cooper Sullivan.

The senior gift provides Reagan faculty and students with fresh and cold water which is  safer and easier to use.

“I think these stations are a great addition to the school,” said Reagan principal Brad Royal. “Having these will help students bring their own water bottles and keep them drinking safer and cleaner water. They also are much easier to use because you don’t have to tilt your bottle to fill it with water”

As the stations are slowly being installed around the school, three are already in use. Two are near the main hallway and lunch room and one is next to the women’s locker room.

“I have used those water bottle fillers everyday for the past two weeks,” said sophomore and track athlete Allison Dell. “I love it so much because it’s fast and I know I’m helping the environment while hydrating myself before practice and meets.”

Although the school year has a long way to go, the soon-to-be graduating class has already left a mark on their school. The senior gift provides a long time healthy and safer change to drinking more water.

“I’m excited about using these new stations this year and into my senior year,” said junior Emily Stewart. “They have been a great addition and many of my fellow students have been using them everyday.”