Superintendent Winfried Feneberg
114 Cougar Court
New London, NH 03257
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019
Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: kelsey@jgpr.net
Kearsarge Students Gain Hands-On Medical Experience through Dartmouth-Hitchcock Extended Learning Opportunity
NEW LONDON– Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) at Kearsarge Regional School District provide students with valuable educational experiences outside of the classroom, including a program that allows students to learn firsthand from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center professionals.
“Extended Learning Opportunities are often made possible by the generosity of our community partners, who work incredibly hard to provide rich educational experiences for our students,” Superintendent Winfried Feneberg said. “Our staff has also made an extraordinary effort to make our ELO programming a reality, and we’re fortunate to have so many people working together to organize learning opportunities outside of the classroom to benefit our students.”
Kearsarge launched its ELO program in fall 2016 , including a partnership with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center that allows high school students to visit the Lebanon facility and learn directly from medical professionals. Kearsarge was the first in the state of New Hampshire to organize a program providing students with an ELO experience at the medical center.
“The goal of this ELO is to provide a pathway for students who are interested in the medical field that is meaningful, relevant, and a real world experience where the students can draw upon different skills and apply them in a practical way,” said Melinda Wilder, ELO coordinator at Kearsarge.
Eight students are taking the class through which the program operates, titled DHMC Experiential ELO, this fall. Students will visit Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center four times, for four and a half hour visits each, and learn directly from medical professionals about their areas of expertise. Students in the class visited the center for the first time on Sept. 26, and were given a presentation by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART).
“I liked the hands-on aspect of the day because it wasn’t like I was sitting all day listening and taking notes like I would have been at school,” said Kate Dawson, a sophomore. “For example, I was able to lift the dummy from the stretcher to the DHART Helicopter stretcher like I was already a trained medical professional. It was a fun day and I can’t wait to go back.”
“I was happy to realize that the day was very geared towards showing us the action packed nature of these fields,” said Cohl Schusler, a senior. “I liked it because it was extremely engaging. When we were in the ambulance bay, I was able to volunteer to intubate the mannequin and interact with the EMTs firsthand.”
Students have also listened to an x-ray technician explain his daily responsibilities, and learn about medical procedures through demonstrations with practice mannequins. Between visits to the medical center, students are writing reflection essays, learning medical terminology and their origins and working on a final project of interest on a medical topic.
Students in the class will also participate in two days of guest speaker presentations at Kearsarge Regional High, and will visit other local medical centers as well.
Kearsarge Regional High offers a variety of additional ELO classes and programs, which can be tailored to a student’s interests as the district identifies possible mentors and/or community partners. Students can participate in project based Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) ELOs, and other topics the district has crafted ELOs for students on include culinary arts, the Japanese language and bridge engineering.
###