Phoenix students and staff have a new place to call home. The new Harlingen School of Health Professions facility, located at 302 N. 21st Street, opened its doors Monday morning.
Dressed for the historical occasion, students filed in for a day of excitement and discovery. The new facility features state-of-the-art rooms, labs, and lecture hall in which students will have the opportunity to apply knowledge and procedures that they’ve learned in class.
“I’m very excited about the hands-on equipment,” said Angelica Montes eighth grade student. “I look forward to using the surgical lab and the patient care room. Also, I look forward to getting to work in my field of study – surgery. I want to be an anesthesiologist.”
Jacob Harms, who hopes to one day become an endodontist, is most excited about wealth of resources available to him at the new facility.
“We have every piece of equipment that we could possibly need here at our disposal; from the chairs to the little things such as toothbrushes, said Harms. “We also have many computers at our disposal and an excellent library, as well as, knowledgeable teachers that we can use as resources for information.”
The college-like atmosphere throughout the facility will foster the collaborative style of learning, which will prepare students for a post-secondary education in the medical field.
“This campus represents academic rigor, with an emphasis on relevance of medically related curriculum with real life scenarios, and our students are further set on the path toward acceptance to medical schools and subsequent careers in medicine with its opening,” said Board of Trustee President Greg Powers.
At HSHP it is essential that students have opportunities for collaboration, as much of the design and curriculum of the school is based on project-based learning.
Consequently, much thought was placed in the choice of furniture that will facilitate collaborative work, and making use of every available space as study areas for students to reserve.
“This beautiful building is goes above and beyond all of our expectations, said Tina Garza, HSHP Principal. “We’ve talked to the students about what they’ve learned in the classroom and how it’s going to apply to this environment. It is a great opportunity for our students that we have long been waiting for and today is a culmination of all their excitement. I think they’re ready for the challenge and we are ready to provide it.”
In order to expose students to different areas of the medical field, community professionals are regularly invited to speak to students about their experiences and eighth graders begin with career portals where they start to investigate different careers.
On campus, classrooms are set up to expose students to the different medical areas so they can see what’s being learned in the class and how it’s incorporated into that field.
The inaugural year of HSHP marks the beginning of a new world of possibilities for Harlingen students.
“The opening of the Harlingen School of Health Professions facility signifies the growing opportunities and choices our students will have to get a jump start on a career in medicine and the medical school process,” said Superintendent Dr. Art Cavazos. “With the growing demand in this profession and expanded opportunities like UTRGV, the over 200 students entering the campus will continue on the path toward global achievement. This is a great moment for our district and students, who have been anxiously awaiting this transition, and we look forward to the ribbon cutting ceremony and community reception scheduled for December 17, 2014 where we invite everyone to come and visit their state of the art facility.”
Click here to view photos of the first day at the new HSHP.
