This year has introduced a number of changes to Tallmadge High School. In addition to masks, the hybrid schedule, and the eighth graders moving to the history hallway, one might have noticed the brand new water bottle fillers throughout the school. 

The improved fillers are thanks to teacher Joni Giles and her 2019 Business Foundations class. As a marketing project for the class, Giles urged her students to come up with ideas to improve the school. They researched several ideas that included giving the Blue Devil Café menu items and a separate snack café.  The class came up with the idea for a water bottle filler. The main collaborators for the project were juniorDemetrius Bish, juniorBradley Kirk, sophomore Leah McKinney, sophomore Natalie Ries, and sophomore Danaysha Robertson.

“While we were brainstorming ideas for Marketing Projects in our school, the conversation came up about the water fountains not working properly.  The students were wishing we had water bottle fillers.  I told them that if they wanted this they needed to take action.  When they asked how, I told them they needed to contact Steve Wood,” Giles said. 

Take action they did. The next couple weeks were focused on creating a presentation to get approval for the fillers. The proposals were then presented to Wood near the end of the semester. 

“[Mr. Wood] listened to all of their proposals.  He took notes, gave his feedback on their ideas, then he left.  About 15 minutes later he came back to our room and said, indeed, the water fountains were not working properly,” Giles said. 

The plan was finally approved. However, the students did not have the chance to see the fruits of their labor that year. When the state was shut down in March, the installation process of the fillers was put on hold. 

After the district reinstated in-person learning and school began in August, the first fillers were installed in the Gym and Auditorium hallways. A few months later, every water fountain in the school received its new upgrade. Teachers and students alike were grateful for the new addition. 

Teacher Arene Stazak said, “I love them. I drink 300% more water each day now that we have them.”