tcrow@taylorisd.org Several mornings each week, Taylor High School senior, Ramon Guerra, arrives on campus early with a bag full of ice-cold bottles of water. He leaves them around the school for people to find, along with a note to brighten their day.
“I just want to help everyone stay positive and cheer them up,” Guerra said. “If someone is getting picked on, I just want to leave some free water bottles to help them out and say don’t let those people drag you down. You’re not a nobody, you’re a somebody. Keep on following your dreams.”
Known around campus as “Knight” Guerra, Guerra freezes the bottles overnight to make sure they are still nice and cold when he arrives at school the next morning. He leaves the bottles in hallways, at classroom doors and in high traffic areas like the office and library. At each stop he leaves a note with the bottles that reads: Free water bottles from Knight Guerra. The note also includes a drawing of the character Marshmallow, and Guerra’s social media contact for anyone who wants to say thanks.
“That’s the smiley face of marshmallow because he stays positive for everyone,” Guerra said. “That smiley face is like my calling card.”
Guerra began leaving water bottles around campus last September after enrolling at Taylor High School. At first, students didn’t know what to think of finding free bottled water around their school.
“When I first started doing this, some of the people did find it suspicious. They didn’t know who this Knight Guerra person is,” Guerra recalled. “I just wanted to add something popular for the school, a really cool activity.”
It didn’t take long for everyone to learn about this act of kindness. Students and staff describe Guerra’s efforts as uplifting, and said everyone looks forward to finding the refreshing treat.
“They’re always cold and he puts on the note there is no need for a thank you, but if you want to you can put a shout-out to him on his social media,” said THS assistant principal, Steven Vigil. “I think he gets as much out of it as everybody who he is giving to. He’s a really sweet kid.”
“I think it’s a really good project to do,” said THS student, Ethan Muniz. “It’s making people a lot more happy that there’s actually cold water to have.”
When recipients give Guerra a shout-out on social media, he responds by saying, “Anytime,” along with encouragement to follow their dreams and goals.
“People say, dude you’re amazing. You’re doing a really awesome thing for the school,” Guerra said. “It makes me feel happy for helping.”
Although Guerra is a senior, the water bottle project has quickly become a popular tradition that will continue on after he graduates.
“The good news is I have a successor that will take my place next year,” Guerra said. “I want to keep this school really popular.”
