Senior Quenches Athenian's Thirst for Knowledge
There are many places to get water at Athenian. With so many choices, selecting the best water station to drink from is challenging. Each has advantages and disadvantages, but some are more advantaged than others. A good water station should be fast, clean, and provide cold water that has a decent aftertaste.
First up for consideration is the Courtside water station. It's a humble water cooler at the back entrance of the building. The most remarkable trait of this station is that the water has no aftertaste. In my experience, water usually tastes like something, whether it’s plasticky, metal-tinged, or suspiciously unidentifiable. However, Courtside water astonishingly tastes like nothing. The water cooler is relatively fast and dispenses water at an inoffensive room temperature. The only disadvantage of Courtside is that teachers frequently pass by and occasionally question what a student is doing so far from the more well-used water stations.
The Dase Center houses two water fountains in between the bathroom doors. This station doesn't put its best foot forward—the button to activate the fountains is slightly sticky, and I had to wonder how many people had touched it before me. The fountain produces a wavering stream, which is adequate for drinking but makes it difficult to fill a bottle. The water itself has a barely noticeable processed aftertaste.
The Commons has a sink with a small faucet apart from the main nozzle, almost as an afterthought. Its water has a strange taste that feels like it would give me a sore throat if I drank too much. It's slightly warmer than the other stations but decent for filling a bottle, as its arc is high and doesn't waver.
The Science buildings have two water coolers that are almost identical, except the left tastes slightly less plasticky than the right. The main advantage of this station is that it produces the only cold water in all of Athenian. Although it’s decidedly average in most other categories, its coldness makes the walk up to the Science buildings worthwhile during hot summer days.
The Main Hall is where most students frequently get their water. The two water stations in the lunch area are slow and plodding, but have minimal aftertaste. They’re also somewhat variable in temperature, sometimes randomly producing warm water. However, the easily accessible ice dispensers remedy this problem by allowing students to make their water cold.
Last are the Main Hall water fountains. These have the same sore throat-inducing aftertaste as the Commons. Otherwise, they're reliable and a very convenient option.
