Nicole Bartlett, Charlotte Water Engineering Division Manager, speaks to students sitting around a shop table that is covered with handouts and equipment.

Introducing 8th Graders to Computer Science Careers

December 5, 2025

We were thrilled to speak with students about computer science careers in water at Whitewater Middle School. Just down the road from the Stowe Regional Water Resource Facility, we have been a proud partner of Whitewater Middle School for several years and look forward to continuing our support for years to come.

This year, we built a strong partnership with Mr. Jaelon Rutley, a computer science educator leading the AVID program at the school. AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college readiness elective where students learn organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking and asking probing questions, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities to make college attainable. 

A Charlotte Water Employee stands with arms outstretched in front of a table of students with Mr. Rutley smiling at his side.

On November 20, we hosted a College and Career Readiness Engagement Series for eighth graders in the AVID elective. We brought in more than 10 professionals to share computer science careers in water. In small groups, students rotated through six stations. 

Indoors, students engaged with Charlotte Water’s survey drone and HDR Engineering’s Navisworks 3D model of the Stowe Facility, as well as a rendering of our Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) under the Catawba River. Charlotte Water’s Engineering Division Manager Nicole Bartlett explained the water system, providing various materials for a hands-on experience.  

An engineer stands in front of a TV monitor displaying a 3D model of the wastewater treatment plant site as students sitting around the table look on.

Outside, students got a taste of work in the field. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services brought their CCTV truck and remote-control inspection robots. Garney Construction delivered equipment from CAT and flew their drone so students could get a first-hand look at the pilot’s controls.  

Three men in safety vests stand in a school parking lot in front of buses with a group of students. They all look down at two rubber-wheeled robots with cameras on the front of the machines.
Two Garney Construction workers stand in front of a group of students in the school parking lot next to a CAT tracked vehicle with a drone hovering in the air.

Students were asked to reflect on what they learned about water treatment, wastewater treatment, and computer science at Charlotte Water and Storm Water Services. They left understanding how our water is One Water – from when it is treated and delivered to homes, to when it is cleaned and returned to our river.  

We are so grateful for Mr. Rutley and his scholars providing us with the opportunity to share our work, and we look forward to many more events in the future.