SAN ANTONIO – Students in the Harlandale Independent School District will soon be able to step into a new, interactive lab designed to introduce them to careers in the water industry.
San Antonio Water System unveiled its HydroCore Mission Control Center on Thursday at the district’s Makerspace at the Jewel C. Wietzel Center, a former school campus. SAWS described the custom-made classroom as an immersive, hands-on experience that lets students explore water-related jobs through a storyline-based learning environment.
“HydroCore was developed from a storyline originally created by SAWS’ education team,” said Gavino Ramos, SAWS senior vice president of communications and external affairs. “Our Education team then took that story and spent more than a year fleshing it out to fit an interactive classroom where local students can learn more about water careers in a way that’s exciting and engaging.”
Created as a fictional water operations training facility, HydroCore invites students to become “AquaScouts” and work through five mission stations focused on the science, technology, infrastructure and people involved in delivering safe, reliable water service.
Teachers can begin incorporating HydroCore into their curriculum this year, following nearly 18 months of planning, design and construction, according to SAWS. The technology hub includes access to tools such as 3D printers, coding kits and drones, aimed at giving students an inside look at what a career in water can involve.