(CBC News) — A Vancouver Island elementary school is attempting to do away with the lunchtime juice box, encouraging staff and students to go water-only during school hours.

Since classes began this week, Alexander Elementary in Duncan has been conducting an experiment to see if pop, juice and other sugary drinks could be eliminated.

The idea began with a water-drinking challenge that the school held last year, when staff and students drank more than 2,000 litres in about two months, according to principal Dani Morrow.

“The kids really liked it — they embraced it. We had one little boy who one of our teachers saw in 7-Eleven, who chose a bottle of water over a pop or a soda, which was awesome,” Morrow told CBC News.

“We thought we’d try and take it one step further and see if it would work.”

The parent advisory council has purchased reusable water bottles for everyone at the school, and a bottle-filling station has been installed.

But a notice sent home to parents is earning some mixed reviews on social media. It says that Alexander will be a “water-only” school, and that “Pop, Iced Tea, Juice, and Energy Drinks can be saved for after school or at home.” (…)