Inspired to help environment, Franklin student raises funds for fountains

<p>Franklin Community High School sophomore Kabria Chapman was visiting another high school when she got an idea.</p><p>Students and teachers could fill their water bottles at a fountain designed just for that, and she wanted her fellow members of the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council to find a way to bring the fountains to the high school.</p><p>Her goal is to reduce waste from plastic bottles.</p><p>Jonathan Ott, the president of the council, took up the idea, and now the high school is installing three fountains thanks to a fundraising effort, he said.</p><p>At Duke University, the fountains saved 400,000 water bottles in 2014 through reuse, according to Duke. The fountains have a standard spigot for drinking from, with a spot towards the back of the fountain where students can place their bottles for an automatic refill.</p><p>“Recycling efforts are improving in (Franklin) and this is removing plastic from being thrown away in the first place,” Ott said. “It’s definitely a little easier to use than normal fountains, but the biggest part is recycling and reducing plastic waste. We sell water bottles from our vending machines and bring them from home. It’s not great to see plastic bottles being thrown away. It’s good to help the environment and I’m glad to see it being done.”</p><p>Ott started a fundraising effort with the rest of the leadership council, which included a GoFundMe that raised $840. Members of the council raised $440 from selling basketball t-shirts and members of the Franklin City Council donated $250 to the cause after the leadership council presented the project to them.</p><p>Including other smaller donations, the council raised $1,890. Franklin schools then used that money to pay for the replacement of two standard fountains, which did not have a station for water bottles, Ott said.</p><p>During the fundraising process, Ott approached Health Services Coordinator Amanda Martin about the project. Martin, a member of the district’s wellness committee, was enthusiastic and told other members of the committee. The committee approved the plans and said it would fund a third water fountain if students raised funds for the first two.</p><p>The three fountains will be located in the cafeteria, the upstairs hallway and near the fieldhouse, Ott said.</p><p>Future plans for the leadership council include the completion of a wooden box library, which will be placed just outside Unity Park playground in Franklin and should be open sometime this summer, Ott said.</p>