Sam Cellucci ’26
As any teenager does, I find myself carrying around a ten-pound water bottle with me throughout the day. This is not only my need for hydration, but also to satisfy a deeply ingrained habit. Other students across the EA community have confirmed that it is not only the craze for a new Owala or Stanley that makes water bottles so persistent throughout campus, but the habits and obsessions people have built with them.
There is only a select group of teachers who are bothered by water bottles, other than the occasional bomb drop from a wobbly desk. However, some teachers have observed an increase in the rate of bathroom trips, taking attention away from the lesson. Mr. Kelly and other deans had also noticed clutter and misbehavior sprouting from water bottles. As an attempt to solve this issue, he has banned drinks, including water bottles, in the Upper School for his freshman class. Kelly elaborates, “Unfortunately, the Class of 2029 developed poor habits regarding cleanliness in the lounge. Students failed to appropriately discard food and trash upon consumption. Additionally, students spilled numerous drinks and failed to clean them up. These beverages include Starbucks, EA Cafe items, and water bottles. Due to these consistently bad habits, I banned drinks and food from the lounge indefinitely. Upon improved behavior and cleanliness, the students could possibly have these privileges reinstated.” Mr. Shimrock, a Spanish one teacher with a majority of his students being freshmen, adding that water bottles inhibit the productivity of the academic setting, says, “I am confident that the class will be more focused and productive without the distraction of an empty water bottle.” Mrs. Murray, the sophomore dean, points tot the generational gap as the root cause this disagreement between students and teachers, suggesting it provided a period of time for the social norm of hydration to change. She states that “in the 90s we were perpetually dehydrated,” attributing it to the absence of a personal water bottle and the health benefits of hydration not being widely promoted. Murray argues that growing up without a bottle has established a lack of care or understanding for a students attachment to their water bottle.
While the most successful water bottle brands are seen as “trendy” and, therefore, lacking uniqueness, it still seems that everyone has a personal connection to their water bottle. It isn’t the color or brand of a water bottle that makes it personal, but the constant unity and proximity of a person with their water bottle. Nora Bailer, a member of the senior class, states that “it feels wrong to not have my water bottle with me after carrying it around for so long.” When selecting her water bottle, she placing her confidence in the reliability of popular water bottle brands, instead of going through the effort of finding the perfect and unique water bottle for her. She just “liked the color and bought it out of practicality for her student athlete lifestyle.” Similarly, Sophie Liu, a member of the freshman class, has owned her water bottle for years, says, “I subconsciously hydrate myself just by having my water with me.” Sophie expressed that she doesn’t really care about the brand of her water bottle, but rather, the efficiency of it. With Sophie explains the effect of not being allowed to have her water at school anymore (being neither the clutterer nor abuser of bottles), saying, “it not only prevents me from getting dehydrated but also is so regular in my day-to-day schedule that it will be rough not having it while Mr. Kelly’s no water bottle rule is in effect.” With the rest of the freshman class sharing Sophie’s concerns, it will be interesting to see if the increase in productivity makes up for the annoyance mild dehydration.
cal water bottles, carrying almost a third of a gallon.
Photo courtesy of OwalaLife.com
As revealed by the thoughts of both teachers and students, the mysterious bond with water bottles is simply from a creature of habit. The craze may be because of EA students’ athletic prowess, a wave of hydration enthusiast parents, or maybe it’s simply falling victim to the Stanley and Owala trends. No matter the reason, a water bottle symbolizes comfort, consistency, and self-care for many students. As the school experiments with these restrictions, it will be interesting to see not only how habits shift, but also what this change reveals about the small routines that shape our day-to-day lives as students.
