At a pep rally on Friday, November 11, the HOSA program received a $150,000 grant from The Schmieding Foundation, a foundation that provides grants for higher education, human services, and health organizations. HOSA students and teachers were celebrated in front of the whole school for their hard work in getting this grant which Dr. Blair Sipes found fulfilling.

“Honestly we are just so grateful to have received this grant,” Sipes said, “and we are so excited to share it with the staff and students at Har-Ber.”

Sipes was notified of this grant opportunity by Lance Taylor, the President of The Schmieding Foundation. He informed HOSA that they accept grant requests twice a year. Because the foundation’s main focus is improving medical education, Sipes and her fellow HOSA supervisors (Mr. Becker, Mrs. Lynch, and Mrs. Davis) were encouraged to submit their grant.

“The Foundation has a board that votes on the grants and how much they are going to fund,” Sipes said. “They look at the proposal and vote based on the impact this can make in our community, so we knew we had a good chance.”

HOSA is hoping to use the grant to enhance the learning experience for students participating in medical, animal science, and biology classes. They are doing this by purchasing an anatomage table. This is a digital dissection table that medical classes and science classes will be able to use. In addition, HOSA was able to purchase new hospital beds and hospital equipment to give their students the chance to learn on updated equipment.

“I think the students are excited,” Sipes said. “This table allows us to do dissections on humans and animals. We also have the ability to study bones, muscles and ligaments. There are games and activities embedded in the table as well.”

Sipes was right in her assertion that the students are excited. Senior Kate Gilder is happy to know that the community has trust in her and her fellow HOSA students.

“I think it means that our community is supportive of us,” Gilder said, “and I am overjoyed that our community believes in our generation to use that money to further our education and make an impact in the future.”

Senior Emily Dizney also recognizes that the grant will not only have an impact on her, but will also impact the students that follow her in the HOSA program for years to come.

“This grant is a game changer for our program,” Dizney said, “and I can’t wait to see what me and future students can do with this new technology and equipment that the grant allowed us to have.”