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The HOYA 2 students are on the downhill slide before they reach the ultimate goal post of high school graduation!! They are keeping extremely busy and avoiding the plague of senioritis. I am confident that these young people will maintain their focus even as the weather gets warmer and graduation creeps closer.  

HOYA 2 students are continuing to use their critical thinking skills by doing situational assignments where they interact as CNAs and potential healthcare professionals via their online workbook. This allows a much more accurate illustration of what they can expect as they progress through their career paths..   

We have completed our cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive system units with student presentations of different cardiac disease processes next week. This has been an interesting unit as we were able to dissect 3 venison hearts, livers, lungs, trachea and esophagus that were donated by HOYA students, Kendra Kuhlemeier, Caily Richardson, and St John’s Director of Congregational Life, Pam Wessel and her husband, Dan. Students were a little squeamish at the beginning of the activity but then the fun began. Not everyone realized the size and toughness of the trachea; which we were able to witness during the dissection.  Students were able to view the pericardium, the 4 chambers of a heart as well as the valves. They also found food in the esophagus and a bit of bile in one of the liver ducts. 

The students are working on this month’s Community Health Bulletin board which will focus on Stress Awareness and Management. April will be just as busy as we attempt to finish up the remaining modules of Medical Terminology. As we study the integumentary system, students will be working in groups and simulating different wounds.

HOYA 1 Update, March/April: 

During the week of March 9th, the students learned about death, dying, and Hospice. The chaplain from FHN came to speak to the students about his experience in the hospital setting and his personal story. We learned how a chaplain provides not just religious support but also spiritual and emotional support to the patient and their family.   

This week, the students learned about rehabilitation, restorative care, and surgical interventions, including preoperative and postoperative care. The students performed skits demonstrating their skills and knowledge of how to use assistive devices, walking aids, proper patient positioning, and range of motion exercises. We are continuously practicing our patient care skills in the lab and on residents/patients during our clinical rotations. After we come back from break, we will learn about home care and review infection prevention practices. Everyone is doing great and I am proud of all their hard work!

Student Comments:

“I have many useful skills that have significantly helped me in my clinicals. I am really enjoying clinicals and can’t wait for pinning !!”

“This school year I enjoyed practicing skills with my friends and the friends I've made in class!”

“When clinicals first started I was freaking out. I didn’t think there was any shot that I could do anything on actual people. We practiced so much during the year in class and in the skills lab and I began to get very confident. Then I started clinicals and felt very proud with how I continued to do skills on actual people and none of that would’ve been possible without all the work we do in class. I’ve learned so much about caring for people.”

“A tracheostomy is a surgical procedure that creates an opening through the neck to the trachea and allows air to reach the lungs fully.”

“I'm excited to do more clinicals. Mainly for the fact for me to get more experience for when I become a CNA. I also love building relationships with all the residents I meet.”

“I have really grown on my skills in the last few weeks. I am excited  to finish my clinicals and get pinned! Mrs. Miller always tries to make the class fun and engaging.”

“I've been practicing and getting better at my skills in the skills lab, I can't wait till I'm done with my clinicals and work as a CNA!”

We have finished the exteriors of the rooms that the students built in the shop. The aluminum soffits & vinyl siding are installed.  This month we will be learning about finish carpentry and plumbing.

Finish carpentry in construction refers to the final stage of woodworking on a building project, where detailed trim, moldings, doors, windows, and other visible elements are installed to create a polished aesthetic and complete the space, focusing on precision and visual appeal rather than structural support like rough carpentry does; essentially, it's the "finishing touches" on a building's interior and exterior that enhance its appearance and functionality

In the second half of February, students in Culinary Arts focused on the Pasta and Egg Cookery units. During the pasta units, students made all the pasta dough from scratch, preparing dishes such as ravioli, chicken alfredo, and carbonara. During the egg unit, students prepared dishes such as quiche and huevos rancheros. In the first half of March, Culinary Arts will focus on international cuisine. After choosing a country, each student will do a presentation about that country's cuisine. Then the entire class will prepare a recipe of that student's choice from their chosen country.

Oh my goodness!  How are there only 23 class days left for this amazing group of young people??  This entire year has flown by. Hard to believe that graduation for these students is just around the corner. February was a normal busy month. Students are having fun learning their medical terminology words. They have designed Blooket games for their medical terminology word part quizzes. They completed the musculoskeletal system with our chicken wing dissections.  

As March has come in like a lamb, HOYA II will have the March lion spirit.  They are continuing working at their internships. They will be using their knowledge of the medical terms that they have mastered thus far and will be completing critical thinking worksheets as well as some case study of some of their residents/patients they are caring for during their internships.  We will also be dissecting beef and venison hearts and venison lungs as we continue with our cardiovascular and respiratory units. 

Students have started their community/public health surveys and will now compose a Google Slide presentation on those findings. Community/public health will always affect any healthcare provider, so it is important to not only know what citizens of their community find important but also to know what types of healthcare each community offers.   

Next week the students will be updating their educational bulletin board to address another pertinent health issue. February was Heart Health month and Children’s Dental Awareness month.  I am looking forward to the newest board as the students have done such an amazing job on each of the previous ones.  

Congratulations and good luck to the Pecatonica boys and girls (Kianna Degner and Payton Thomas and all the other ladies) basketball teams.

As March hopefully changes to warmer weather, please remember to work on some relaxing outdoor activities. Spring and Spring break will be here before we know it.  

Careers In Business (CIB)

March 2025

The students are still tackling Excel and have mixed feeling about it. Some love it and others…not so much. J Since 95% of the business world uses it, we will keep at it so the students are prepared. The Stock Market Game has been very wild this year and the student’s portfolios can rank 50 one day and 500 the next, literally. It’s a great life experience for the students, especially those who like the idea of investing.

Taxes took their toll on this year’s class and I think it’s safe to say there were mixed reviews about it. Half of the class loved learning about them and the other half hated it. Sadly, it’s one of those areas we have to deal with when adulating so I commend them for their perseverance. They’ve never been so relieved to start a new unit: Credit! Credit basics, credit reports and scores, and understanding credit cards make up that unit, which will be followed by insurance and then housing.

On February 26th, the students volunteered at the Mall of Life, a 7th grade CareerTEC sponsored event, which simulates life, making career and financial decisions, and check writing skills. I’m proud of the students who did well assisting the younger students, while having fun too!

Year II students are writing and preparing a presentation for the year I students and their mentors in late April. I’m so excited to see how they turn out!

GOOD LUCK to the Pecatonica boys’ basketball team! Specifically, our CIB II students: Brody Black, Jaxon Diedrich, Jordan Gassman, and Cooper Hoffman, as they compete in the sectional semi-finals and finals March 4th and March 7th, respectively. Winning State is the goal…Go Indians!!

HOYA 1 Update: During the last few weeks, the students learned basic life support (BLS) interventions and about mental health.

BLS information learned included the following:

1. Importance of high-quality CPR and its impact on survival
2. Describe and apply the concepts of the chain of survival
3. Recognize when CPR is needed
4. Perform high-quality CPR on an adult, infant, and child
5. Describe the importance of using an AED as soon as possible
6. Demonstrate use of an AED
7. Provide effective ventilation by using a barrier device
8. Importance of teams in multi-rescuer CPR
9. Perform as an effective team member
10. Describe the techniques for relief or foreign body obstruction for adult, infant, and child

All students completed the BLS course and are now CPR certified!!!! I am so proud of all their hard work and they are ready to save a life!

During the mental health unit, the students worked in groups to identify the following:

1. Identify seven characteristics of mental health
2. Identify causes for mental health disorders
3. Distinguish between fact and fallacy concerning mental health disorders
4. Explain the connection between mental and physical wellness
5. List guidelines for communicating with residents who have a mental health disorder
6. Identify and define common defense mechanisms 
7. Describe types of mental health disorders
8. Explain how mental health disorders are treated
9. Identify important observations that should be made and reported
10. List the signs of substance abuse

In March, the students will learn about different acute and chronic conditions of the various body systems, rehabilitation, restorative care, and how to take care of individuals who are dying and have passed. 

We have also started clinicals, and the students are doing very well. Clinical sites include Liberty Village, Parkview, Medina, and FHN. I enjoy watching the students grow and increase their confidence in their skills!

ECE Family Spring Fling

April 14, 2025

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Highland Community College Student Center