Students get to be rockstars

Selling bottled water began as a class project for students at Portola Elementary School to help others.

Nearly 40,000 water bottles sold later - with the help of some children at schools nationwide - the children helped buy a play pump. The device pumps fresh water using energy produced when children play on a merry-go-round. Yesterday, 12-year-old Talia Leman, the CEO and a founder of "RandomKid," recognized the philanthropic efforts of the 20 students by inducting the students into the RandomKid National RandomRockstar Hall of Fame.

"We may not seem like a powerful group. After all, we don't earn a living and we can't drive yet. But, it is incredible - absolutely incredible - what seemingly powerless kids can do," said Leman, who began her nonprofit organization to help empower children to make change after Hurricane Katrina.

Leman presented the kids with certificates, "Random Rock Star" T-shirts, paper weights with each child's name and "bringing hope to the world" embroidered, and a large trophy, topped with an empty "Water for Life" bottle.

Seeing the success is empowering the San Bruno students.

"I think it's great because I just thought I was a little person in society," said 10-year-old Liam Kern. "It makes me feel great changing other's lives."

The class hopes to eradicate water shortages and water diseases in other counties, he said.

The plan began a year ago when fourth-grade teacher Julie Calleja brought a six-minute video about the water shortage to her Portola class that was looking for a book topic. A solution to the water problem was play pumps - a device that pumps fresh water using energy produced when children play on a merry-go-round. Getting involved led to a bottled water fundraiser in which the students created their own label for spring water leading to the purchase of a pump for Masana Primary School in South Africa, which was installed in August.

San Bruno students raised money through the sales of "Water for Life." The students partnered with two other schools - Naubuc Elementary in Glastonbury, Conn. and The Academy in Iowa - generating over the $14,000 needed for the first pump. Calleja estimated the students will have raised enough for a second pump in a number of months.

Sales continues as students go door to door or sell in front of stores, explained Veronica Bianculli and Zella Stewart, both 10.

The idea came up during the last school year, the students were gearing up for an annual competition through Scholastic called "Kids are Authors," when the play pump topic emerged.

During the last school year, when Calleja's then fourth-grade class learned that one child dies every eight seconds without access to healthy water, it decided to do something about it - sell water to raise money allowing others to have clean water.

Students also learned that gathering water tends to be considered women's work. Many girls spend three to six hours a day collecting water, leaving little or no time for an education. A solution, created by Trevor Field, was the play pump which can provide 2,500 people water for up to 10 years with a $14,000 price tag.

Students worked together writing on the play pump topic they chose, then split the illustration duties to finish the book faster. It was dedicated to Field who e-mailed the students a photo of him with the book. Field also suggested the children contact RandomKid - an organization that helps kids take their ideas to another level to make a difference.

Before long, the students had found a San Martin vendor, Private Spring Water, that helps bottle custom-labeled water such as the "Water for Life." The company began helping with the project by donating the shipping. It continues to support the school-wide effort.

Calleja's students designed the water logo and will be starting the new school year looking for continued support from the community.

The children were honored by state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, in November for the program. The class will travel to the capital to be recognized on the Senate floor on Feb. 4.

For more information visit www.randomkid.org/water.asp or e-mail the students at projectplaypump@yahoo.com.