When chemistry teacher Bryan Arinaitwe looked at his students at Moisés E. Molina High School, he saw something too important to leave inside the classroom: untapped potential.
Today, that potential is powering a student-led water quality research project that is giving teens a taste of college-level science and a voice in conversations about the safety of their own school environment.
What began as an idea for a science club has grown into a grant-funded investigation of the drinking water at Molina High School. With support from the Dallas Education Foundation and the Dallas Environmental Education Initiative, students are systematically collecting and testing water samples from water fountains across campus.
“We’re analyzing the water we drink here to see if it is up to the standards that are required for safe drinking water. After that, we are going to write a report and present it to the school and to the district based on what we find,” Arinaitwe said.
The project doesn’t stop at Molina’s front doors.
Many of the students come from high-density households in southeast and southwest Dallas, where many people may share a single home. That reality led the group to design a second study focused on indoor air quality in students’ own houses, with a plan to present those findings at a science fair in May.
The group draws from multiple grade levels and will soon expand to include fifth graders at Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School, where Molina students will train younger children to collect water samples
“We thought we could also give the kids at Bethune an opportunity to experience what impactful research looks like,” he said.
So far, the club collected more than 70 water samples, organized into pairs of first-draw and post-flush samples from fountains around the school. Students arrive as early as 7 a.m. to capture water that has been sitting in the pipes overnight, an important part of their research methodology.
Using test kits funded by grants and donations, the students are measuring pH, conductivity, water hardness, and dissolved metals as indicators of fertilizer or sewage contamination.
“This is a platform for students to experience college-level research,” he said. “Presenting to district officials gives them vital exposure and boosts their confidence. For many of our students, they simply haven’t had these opportunities.”
In a school of about 2,000 students, only around 12 are involved in this research. That scarcity creates opportunity.
“This is a platform for them to earn scholarships,” Arinaitwe said. “By doing this, they are building their CVs and making themselves more competitive.”
The final water quality report, which the club aims to complete by April, will be shared with both the school and district officials. Arinaitwe believes the findings can help guide decisions on plumbing maintenance and verify the performance of local utilities.
“In my house, I want my kids to be better than me, and in my class, I want my students to be better than me and better than who they are,” he said. “By turning water fountains into serious research, I hope to help these young people see themselves not just as students, but as scientists—and as advocates for the health and future of their community.”
