By Sally Crocker
A group of Tarrant County high school students and environmental science teachers had a lot to talk about when reflecting on big moments from their summer 2026 vacation.
For one memorable week in June, they participated in the inaugural STORM program – Students Transforming Our Resource Mindset – created by Tarrant Regional Water District with a focus on career readiness, and water resource planning, management and conservation.
This free, immersive educational experience offered high school juniors, seniors and their teachers a behind-the-scenes look at their local water supply system, while connecting them with professionals in the water industry, to enhance students’ college and career readiness skills and inspire them to become advocates for water.
Through different field experiences, participants gained insight into the water supply system, water quality monitoring and distribution, water treatment, conservation strategies and more. Each day, students met with different professionals in the water industry, learning about their diverse roles and the career path that brought them to TRWD.
“STORM really opened the participants’ eyes to our water supply system, how it works, how important it is to our community, and how we can all help conserve and protect the water we depend on,” said Betsy Marsh, TRWD Conservation Supervisor.
Inspiring minds
At the beginning of the week, when students were asked what types of jobs might be found in the water industry, many guessed “scientist.” By the end of the week, they were able to name a variety of jobs, noted South Hills High School biology/microbiology teacher Jodi Sarber. Sarber, a 22-year education veteran who is currently completing a PhD in science education at TCU, helped TRWD design and analyze results of the STORM program as part of her dissertation study.
Eleven high school students and seven teachers participated in STORM, with 100% saying they would recommend the program to others. Participants gave the program 4.8 out of 5 stars, and most said they would like to come back next year as a mentor or be a spokesperson for the program at their school.
A teacher’s perspective
Michael Gotta, advanced placement biology and environmental science teacher at Cristo Rey Fort Worth High School, attended STORM with one of his students.
“Of all the professional development I’ve done as a teacher, this was definitely the best,” he said. A strong component of the program, he noted, was the chance for teachers to attend with their students, giving them a shared connection outside the classroom and opportunities for follow up later.
“The program helps make kids advocates for conserving water and other natural resources. The passion and interests of the TRWD team will hopefully inspire students to work hard and go into careers where they can find their own passions,” he added.
Full days, busy week
Each day of the agenda focused on a different aspect of the water supply system and included field visits, skill-building activities and meetings with water professionals. Additionally, the participants were given a daily conservation challenge, such as calculating their home water use, reducing their shower time, or determining how much rainwater they could catch from their roof. As they wrapped up each day, participants shared what was eye opening, what was most fun, and what new information they had learned.
Field trips included a visit to Eagle Mountain Lake to see firsthand how TRWD monitors water quality; a wildlife-viewing excursion to the George W. Shannon Wetlands to witness TRWD’s nature-based conservation strategy; tours of the Arlington, Fort Worth and Grapevine water treatment plants and city facilities; and a chance for participants to see the giant valve and powering infrastructure at the Ennis water booster station, where 350 million gallons of water are moved daily, supplying water to 80 Texas cities.
During these visits, students learned about diverse aquatic life, water monitoring instruments, green stormwater infrastructure, pump stations, water towers, native Texas plants, rainwater harvesting and much more. TRWD and city water utility staff also shared their career journeys and contact information, and students reached out at the end of the week to follow up with career questions.
In their own words
As a 4-H Texas Water Ambassador, student Nora Pacheco has had a connection with TRWD since freshman year in high school. When she heard about the STORM program, she was immediately interested. Her favorite part of the week was learning about the North Texas infrastructure that directly affects how she receives her water at home. Learning about the technology, and meeting the engineers, pump technicians and water quality experts really showed her how much effort goes into providing water to our communities. She also found it “extremely interesting to hear stories from people who found exciting careers in the water world,” she said.
“Now I have so many opportunities for finding internships. The connections were invaluable. The program was truly eye opening and gave us so many options to see every single side of what TRWD does,” she added.
Grapevine High School junior Yousha Khan said that seeing where his local water comes from, and the scale of how it’s recycled, conserved and delivered to local communities, was an incredible experience.
“Every person we met at TRWD had their own unique story and experiences that made our week even better,” he said.
Being out in nature for the field trips showed him some “truly beautiful” views, from the lakes and trees to the insects and native wildlife. His teacher attended STORM with him, and he enjoyed getting her perspectives as well.
“The cool thing about this was that everyone there, whether a student or teacher, was trying to learn something,” he said.
Khan wants to go into a general engineering field and says he would love to work for the water district at some point.
Dayana Hall, Marine Creek Collegiate High School senior, said she enjoyed the hands-on field trips, where students looked for small creatures that live in the creeks, and seeing the native flowers and plants that grow naturally in the watershed.
Her environmental club sponsor told her about the program and attended with her, and now Hall has recommended STORM to others and wants to start a rain barrel project at her school.
Learning moments for educators
Teachers, too, had some big moments from the week.
Sarber said that a unique aspect was that “teachers didn’t have to be teachers, they were learners too.”
“Sometimes engaging that part of being a teacher inspires and motivates you for the coming year. Teachers were interacting with the group and asking questions right along with the students, and now they can go inspire others to participate in the program,” she said.
Gotta’s big aha moment was seeing the powerful Richland Chambers reservoir in person and learning about the 90 miles of pipeline built, the engineering that designed the massive pump stations, and the energy required to push 150-195 million gallons of water roughly 400 ft. uphill every day.
“It was amazing,” he said. “As an educator who’s always been interested in water myself, it was great to meet the people who are doing this work, and for my students to get acquainted with TRWD.”
Building community
On the final morning of the program, participants worked together to care for TRWD’s new campus prairie demonstration and build rain barrels for local schools. They wrote messages of gratitude and support for each other during a celebration lunch and shared reflections on how their knowledge and perceptions about water had changed over the week. Participants then worked in small groups preparing presentations to share with their families at the closing dinner the following evening.
“On the last day, as I listened to the students and teachers share their experiences and watched them work together, having fun and helping each other, I realized the program had achieved something wonderful that we had not expected, that it had helped to build a community of friends who cared about water and each other,” Marsh said.
“We are so pleased with the outcomes of the STORM program,” Marsh added. “It was such a meaningful experience for all of us, and we are looking forward to offering the program to more students and teachers next summer.”
For information about the June 2027 STORM program, contact TRWD’s Youth Conservation Team at youthconservation@trwd.com.
