LFHS Students Awarded Grant for Water Bottle Project

The Lake Forest High School Foundation recently awarded its first student-initiated grant.

The students researched the feasibility and equipment needed to retrofit all eight of the school’s chilled-water fountains with water bottle dispensers.

The hands-free equipment automatically fills reusable water bottles and displays a continuous "Green Counter," showing the number of disposable water bottles saved from the landfill. Students in environmental sciences can then use this data in class.

"Our grants benefit every student, in every grade, at every learning level," said Mindy Bourne, Lake Forest High School Foundation Chair. "We were so pleased to bring students directly into the process this year."

The Water Bottle Filling Station grant was co-funded by the Lake Forest High School Class of 2013, LFHS administration, LFHS Boosters and the LFHS Association of Parents and Teachers.

"This was an exceptional year for collaboration," said Ellen Marwede, vice chair, grants. "Three grants were co-funded with other organizations at Lake Forest High School, which truly demonstrates the power of everyone working together for the benefit of our children."

A total of 11 grants were awarded by the Foundation on Grant Day 2013, including:

• Lenovo Tablets and Chromebooks to support "flipped" math classes, where instruction is delivered through videos created by LFHS teachers, while homework is done in class

• iPads and testing equipment to add real-world research capabilities to environmental science, chemistry and biology classes.

• Digital cameras for advanced photography classes.

• iPads and art applications to demonstrate techniques and suggest improvements on student artwork without the need for time-consuming revisions or costly printing.

• Instron Testing Center to test the strength of composite materials used in CAD engineering and materials science classes.

The Lake Forest High School Foundation was founded in 2002 to provide the funding necessary for technology, training, and other classroom enhancements that advance academics for all students at Lake Forest High School.

A complete listing of the 2013-2014 grants can be found at lfhsfoundation.org.