St. Andrew the Apostle School Conducts a Water Makeover - Action for Healthy Kids
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St. Andrew the Apostle School Conducts a Water Makeover

St. Andrew the Apostle School
Romeoville, Illinois

Girl Filling Water Bottle at FountainLooking to improve the quality of the water in the school and promote more water intake by students and faculty, the PTO at St. Andrew the Apostle School in Romeoville, IL applied for a parent-led grant from Action for Healthy Kids funded by ALDI. “Our school and PTO had raised some funds through our annual fundraising; however, there was a shortfall of funds to purchase water bottles to promote drinking water throughout the school for all students, teachers and faculty,” said Margaret Czyzewski, president of the PTO.

Parents and school staff wanted to give the environment a much-needed face-lift and create excitement around the consumption of water for its students. Thanks to the grant, St. Andrew the Apostle replaced the current water fountains in order to entice students to drink more water more frequently. Said Czyzewski, “We investigated the purchase of water fountains that improved the quality of the water and also had spouts to fill water bottles.”

St. Andrew the Apostle’s principal and school board prioritized the purchase of new water fountains and water bottles above other improvements to fill an immediate need for students and teachers. The grant also allowed for the purchase of water bottles for all students and faculty.

ST ANDREW THE APOSTLE SCHOOL ROMEOVILLE IL ALDI Inc. The installation of the new water fountains were a welcomed surprise for parents, students and visitors of St. Andrew the Apostle. The PE teacher even taught a lesson on drinking water instead of sugary drinks and highlighted the benefits of drinking more water. Now all 170 students have access to filtered water throughout their day and use their water bottles to help build a healthy habit.

Mrs. Carol Albreski, the school’s principal, shared her enthusiasm about the impact the water fountains and new bottles have had on the students. “Children have increased their water intake, and we have seen an increase in healthy snacks being sent with children. Students are also drinking more water at lunch with their milk instead of juice boxes and other sugary drinks.”

Parents are also seeing an improvement. Czyzewski added, “As a parent, it’s wonderful to see students happy to drink more water and to be able to provide them more water without producing more waste—it’s a win-win!”

The students agree. A sixth grade student named Jimmy noted, “Drinking more water makes me feel healthier. The refreshing, cold water really quenches my thirst!”