Austin ISD breaks ground on districtwide Applied Technology Center

Anderson High School senior Alex Price, president of the robotics team, said he is excited his three younger siblings may benefit from the new center.

"I'm not going to be at Anderson [when the center opens] so it's a little bit bittersweet for me," he said.

STEM has been a focus at AISD schools for the past several years, though many campuses in the district lack the necessary space for hands-on robotics and science activities, Houser said.

"The program has given me a lot of opportunities for projects that I otherwise would not have gotten to experience, and I feel really prepared to go on to college," Price said.

The construction cost is $2.5 million, according to AISD. In June the board of trustees approved accepting an anonymous donation of $59,000 to work on the center. The same donor provided a second gift through the Boy Scouts of America National Foundation for construction and other costs. Trustees Cheryl Bradley, Vincent Torres, Ann Teich and Jayme Mathias were among those in attendance at the ground breaking ceremony.

Edmund Oropez, the district's interim chief schools officer, thanked the board for supporting the project.

"This very new approach for AISD that we're using private [and] public funds together [for] the betterment of our children is just an outstanding opportunity for all of us," he said.