San Andreas Sanitary District believes in the value of educating kids about the post precious natural resource – water. The District offers and participates in several community programs to share information about the wastewater treatment process and its relationship to the local watershed.
San Andreas Elementary School Tour
San Andreas Sanitary District has fostered a unique partnership with San Andreas Elementary School to provide hands-on, real life, real science learning experiences for elementary-aged kids in 4th , 5th, and 6th grades. School program components include classroom lessons, a calendar art contest and an onsite tour at the wastewater treatment plant.
San Andreas Sanitary District has fostered a unique partnership with San Andreas Elementary School to provide hands-on, real life, real science learning experiences for elementary-aged kids in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. School program components include classroom lessons, an art contest and an onsite tour at the wastewater treatment plant.
Classroom curriculum includes theme-orientated lesson plans provided by the District and a calendar artwork contest submitted by students based on a specific theme. Themes rotate annually and include topics such as the Water Cycle, Watershed Protection, and Water is Life.
Hands-on learning includes a tour of the laboratory and treatment plant areas. A typical tour includes:
- the laboratory where students view and identity organisms under a microscope;
- hands-on activities related to the year’s theme;
- a biosolids demonstration that concludes with a traditional “poop squeeze” where kids glove up and touch actual, treated biosolids, and learn that the biosolids are used as fertilizer on hay fields; and
- a Q&A session with the District manager and staff operators.
The partnership is considered a win-win between the school and the District! The program:
- Fosters an understanding about the important role the District serves in the community by providing safe, reliable wastewater treatment.
- Provides scientific lessons about the importance of wastewater treatment and its relationship to the environment.
- Satisfies the District’s requirements outlined in the state’s Pollution Prevention Plan for public education.
- Allows the District to serve as a technical resource to San Andreas community and demonstrate hands-on the science behind the treatment process.
Calendar Art Contest
San Andreas Sanitary District holds an annual Calendar Art Contest based on the theme for the year’s elementary school program for grades 4-6th. Art is selected for each month and one picture is chosen for the cover. District staff attend the school’s fall assembly to announce the winners and hand out certificates and gift cards. Students are also invited to attend a District Board Meeting to be recognized with an official resolution recognizing the school’s partnership with the District and the prize-winning students.
Calaveras High School
The District offers a wastewater treatment plant tour to high school Biology students. Students learn about biosolids, the activated sludge system and hands-on experience with lab testing. The high school opportunity introduces students to career options in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math at an important time when they are exploring trade-related or college fields of study following high school.
Dinner with a Scientist
Each year, the District participates in Calaveras County Office of Education’s Dinner with a Scientist, an event focused on STEM learning for teachers and students. A representative from the District attends the event and shares knowledge about the wastewater treatment process and its relationship to science, technology, engineering and math. The event is typically held in November.
Free At Home Resources
The District offers free educational materials for kids. Stop by the office for a Kids Water Cycle Coloring Book or Kids Watershed Protection Booklet. We’re open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
