Schools say no to soft drink

SEVEN more local schools have joined the campaign to banish sweet drinks from kids’ lunch boxes.

Ceres, East Geelong, Herne Hill, Geelong Baptist, Newcomb Park, Highton and Oberon primary schools have all signed up to become H2Only.

The initiative is part of a partnership between Barwon Health and Barwon Water and aims to improve students’ physical and oral health.

The participating schools will not sell soft drinks, juices or flavoured milks in their canteens and students are not allowed to bring those drinks in their lunch boxes.

Barwon Health health promotion officer Susan Parker said she hoped to see the program rolled out across the entire Geelong region.

“Our data shows that 96 per cent of local primary school students only drink water at school anyway so this is not a big change, but it just helps that last 4 per cent,” Ms Parker said.

The schools received their self-designed “water only school” signs at a presentation on Tuesday.