By Lydia Gould
HHS is giving future doctors a head start at success.
This year Hershey High School decided to offer a brand new course to sophomores, juniors, and seniors: Human Anatomy and Physiology. The course is a full credit science course taught by Jason Ambler. The class is designed to teach students about the human body and how it works.
The inspiration for the course came about when the science department at HHS realized a problem. “We decided to try and fill a gap we thought was created in content in the biology curriculum,” said Ambler.
He said the classes strayed more toward the molecular side of biology rather than the body systems. After deliberation in the science department, administration decided to present the new class to the school board. According to HHS principal Dale Reimann, the school board approved of the new class.
With administrative approval, the decision needed to be made of who would teach the course. Much went into choosing the right teacher for the job, according to Reimann, but he said Ambler’s schedule fit the best, and with hiring a new biology teacher they were able to accommodate for him to fully devote his time to the class.
Ambler said, “the topic is so interesting, and we learn so much in one year.”
Once a teacher was chosen and the course was designed, students were able to enroll in the course in the spring of 2015. Enough students took interest in the class that the following school year, six full periods of the course were scheduled.
Administration wasn’t surprised by the overwhelming interest in the course. Reimann said, “it [human anatomy] was among the most popular classes at other school districts, so I wasn’t surprised by the popularity in HHS.”
Also according to Ambler, he conducted a student survey that showed support to adding the elective.
Many students such as HHS sophomore Anna Hajnal decided to take the course in order to benefit their future. “I decided to take Human Anatomy because I want to be a doctor when I am older,” Hajnal said.
Other students such as HHS senior Meghan Field find a strong interest in learning about the human body and how it works in addition to advancing themselves for the future. “I absolutely love learning about the human body, and I would love to be Doctor Field someday,” Field said.
While many of the activities provide students with a greater understanding of the subject, the class does have some components that makes the class difficult for some students. According to Hajnal, with the extensive material given, studying outside of a class is part of her daily homework load.
“You need to be very self motivated if you want to get good grades” said Hajnal.
Students while being challenged say that Ambler provides the right amount of guidance to help them succeed. According to Field, “Ambler really goes into detail on every subject which is very helpful and therefore making everything easier to learn.”
Hajnal said Ambler teaches the material in a way that is easy to understand which helps her do well in the class. “Ambler is a great teacher which makes the class really fun,” said Hajnal.
With the success of the class, according to Ambler, growth is expected in the future. He said he hopes for more of a “community outreach” in the future. “I hope to introduce my students to different careers in anatomy and physiology,” said Amber.
Ambler said he’s very pleased with how the class is going thus far. He says he enjoys teaching the subject, and while he says he misses his biology classes, he’s excited to teach everything that’s to come.
From an administrative standpoint, Reimann said he’s expecting more success out of the course in years to come. Reimann said, “Absolutely, I am very pleased with the current outcome of the new elective.”
