A pilot program being offered to incoming freshmen at Monroe High School this fall will allow those students to explore health sciences while still having a comprehensive high school experience.
Called the Health Science Pilot, the program is being offered to 110 students who – while eighth graders last year – demonstrated an interest in studying health sciences when they attended Monroe High School. Those interests were determined through the students’ Career Cruising activities and conversations they had with their teachers.
“We have a core team of teachers – DJ Freese, Jenna Glab, Barbara Lafayette, Leah Morelli and Alka Pandya – who have been very passionate about developing this pilot and providing an educational experience which is not available anywhere else in Monroe County,” said Monroe High School Principal Sandra Kreps.
“A major advantage to this program is it allows these students to study in an area in which they have significant interest yet still enjoy the advantages of the rich campus life we have at Monroe High School,” Mrs. Kreps said.
Students entering the program make a two-year commitment to stay with it, with the option to leave after one year, and each will receive his or her own Chromebook to use during the school day. Being part of the MHS Health Science Team provides students with opportunities to learn from guest lecturers, take field trips to area medical facilities, be mentored by persons already working in the field and explore careers in health care and the medical field.
Even if a student is not sure about the Health Sciences, they will be able to integrate their learning into their everyday lives now and in the future. They also will be able to stay on track to be prepared for the rigorous testing schedule from the Michigan Department of Education which now includes the SAT.
“National studies show that seven of the top 10 careers are in health science and with this pilot, we will be helping these students to succeed in their preparation for those careers,” Mrs. Kreps said.
The daily schedule for the students will include subjects like English, Math, Biology and Trojan Family Time. The school day will include two classroom hours for “off-team” classes such as band or choir, a foreign language or other elective. The afternoon has an hour set aside for project-based learning and a health-occupation elective through the MHS Career and Technical Education program.
“Health science is a broad field encompassing many different medical and health care disciplines, including biochemistry, biomedical engineering, pharmacology, physiology, radiological sciences, and many more,” said DJ Freese, one of pilot’s teachers. “The opportunities vary so greatly that it doesn’t matter what your personality type is or what your interests are, there likely is a biomedical science career for you.”
Students participating in the Health Science Pilot also will be able to participate in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) student organization, which in Monroe County is only available at Monroe High School. Over the years, Monroe High students have performed extremely well in state and national HOSA competitions with their peers from around Michigan and the USA.
This is not the first health-science related program offered by Monroe High School that is unique to Monroe County educational institutions. For the last three years, MHS also has offered a Certified Nurse Assistant (CAN) program where students work toward earning their state CNA certification.