Aspen Ridge School students use a water filtration and bottle filling station that was recently installed at the school. The system was provided by Delta Dental Foundation and MESSA as part of the Rethink Your Drink: Water’s Cool at School program to replace water fountains in 88 schools across Michigan. (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Battiste)

ISHPEMING — The installation of a new water filtration and bottle filling station at Aspen Ridge School was recently announced by the Delta Dental Foundation and MESSA as part of the Rethink Your Drink: Water’s Cool at School program to replace water fountains in 88 schools across Michigan.

“We are thrilled to have this investment from the Delta Dental Foundation and MESSA to help the oral and overall health of our students and staff,” Principal Chris Marana of Aspen Ridge Elementary School said in a press release. “The water filtration and bottle filling system is a quick and easy way for our students and entire school community to stay hydrated. And it provides an easy way to choose to drink water instead of reaching for sugary drinks.”

The Water’s Cool at School initiative is part of the Rethink Your Drink campaign, which organizers said aims to “reduce the consumption of sugary beverages, promote the option to drink water, and highlight the benefits of drinking water on oral and overall health, brain function and well-being.”

“We know that drinking water is one of the easiest ways to promote the health of our students – both inside the classroom and out,” Jennifer Young, a teacher at Aspen Ridge School who successfully applied for the grant, said in the announcement. “We’re proud to help get the word out about these campaigns to encourage students and our entire school community to choose water over sugary drinks. With this donation from MESSA and the Delta Dental Foundation, we are making that choice even easier and helping our students build healthy habits that will last a lifetime.”

In all, 88 water fountains and bottle filling stations are being installed across the state as part of the program, organizers said. Grant recipients have also received more than 51,000 reusable water bottles to make it easier to use the filling stations and reduce plastic waste.

“MESSA is committed to supporting education employees as they look to improve their own health while modeling good examples for their students,” RaeAnn Loy, a MESSA field representative, said in a press release. “That means educating staff and students across Michigan about the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages like pop, juice, fruit drinks, sweetened teas and coffee, sports and energy drinks, and more.”

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has found that access to safe, free drinking water helps to increase students’ overall water consumption, maintain hydration and reduce energy intake if substituted for sugar-sweetened beverages, officials said in the announcement. Adequate hydration may also improve cognitive function among children and adolescents, which is important for learning. Drinking water, if fluoridated, also plays a role in preventing cavities.

“The Delta Dental Foundation is proud of our partnerships with MESSA, Aspen Ridge School and schools across the state of Michigan to provide increased access to water filtration and bottle filling stations,” Kim Garland of the Delta Dental Foundation said in the announcement. “We are committed to helping to build healthy, smart and vibrant communities, and setting up students to build healthy habits and make healthy choices is an important part of that.”

State Sen, Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, also attended the event to lend his support.

“Investing in our children and schools also means investing in clean water and healthier options for them, too,” McBroom said in the announcement. “It’s clear that Aspen Ridge takes the health of their students very seriously, and I applaud their efforts to make the choice to drink water easy and fun. I want to thank the Delta Dental Foundation and MESSA for their generosity and their continued efforts to invest in our children, schools and the U.P.”