Caleb Bolin Jake Collins
Feature Editor Junior Editor
Students have plenty of options to choose from for water when passing from class to class.
Some of the fountains have two next to each other; some of the ones in the new building have a spout that students can use to refill water bottles.
Taking all these factors into account, the ECHO has picked out our top three water fountains and three worst.
The third best water fountain is the one by Activities Office or, “The one by Jerry Collins’ office,” said junior Emma Von Wiese. This location has two separate fountains with moderately strong streams. The left fountain’s stream is lower than the right by 5 cm., but both are fairly cold. The left one is the taller of the two. The ease of access of this fountain puts it in the top four.
It is in close proximity to the math department and the stairwell that leads down to the lunchroom/ PV Commons. That same stairwell also leads up to the foreign language department, making it a popular stop between lunches.
Coming in at number two is the water fountain with the black tiles right by the drama room and the new building side of the courtyard. This fountain is in a very prominent location.
Students pass by this fountain often as it is close to the math, business and science departments and the lunch rooms. Not only is the water from this fountain cold, it is not close to another “good” fountain. Since the fountain by the business department is fairly warm and it is the closest one at the top of the staircase, students can opt to take a left before the staircase, and they will find this fountain.
Finally, the best fountain is the one by the counselors’ office and the band hall near Senior Entrance. This water fountain is always cold and has a nice stream.
The third worst water fountain in the school is the second floor water fountain directly between the business hall and math hall. Though in a heavily passed through area, this water fountain has some of the warmest water in the school. The water pressure drops steadily on either fountain when both are being used at the same time, often causing surges of water to splash students in the face (though this is a problem with many of the water fountains).
The second worst water fountain in the school is the third floor water fountain by room 384. On the highest floor in the school atop three flights of stairs, many students often find that the thirst they build up after climbing three flights of stairs with 30 lbs. of paper, trash, tears and other school necessities on their backs cannot be quenched by this sad excuse for a water fountain.
The stream is weak, the water is warm and several seconds pass before water comes out at all in the morning.
Last on the list is the water fountain near the English hallway closest to the junior entrance.
This water fountain came fully equipped with a stream that is hardly high enough to drink from, warm water and side buttons that at times do not work and at times send a trickle of water running down the side of the bubbler.
Occasionally, when the buttons are pressed hard enough to actually get a drinkable stream going, the stream will continue to flow for several seconds after the buttons have been released.
Warm or cold, strong stream or weak stream, all of the school’s water fountains still get the job done when it comes to producing water that is safe to drink.
In fact, in the months following the Flint water crisis and questions concerning lead contamination in the water, principal Jon Clark assured Webster Groves families via email, “The district has periodically tested the water quality in our schools in recent years and just ran tests again last week. These tests have shown no lead in the drinking water.”
Students might appreciate having repairs made to the school’s water fountains but at least the water is safe and lead free.
Visit Our Sponsors
