By Lori BODNAR, intern

Crescenta Valley High School boasts a career program not available everywhere: the Academy of Science and Medicine. It offers students the opportunity to explore different careers in the science, engineering and medical fields. The Academy began in 2004 at CVHS with the help of teacher Orenda Tuason. There are currently more than 300 members of the Academy.

The Academy recently held its annual Academy Picnic, a social gathering to welcome new members to the program. The Academy offers CVHS students classes in line with students’ scientific interests, and the chance to be with peers who share similar interests, as well as network with science and medical professionals in the workplace. Students also are able to participate in exciting and educational field trips and social events.

Academy students can learn about the many careers in science and medicine including medical biology, biotechnology, sports medicine, science research, emergency medical technology, robotics, and kinesiology. There is also a new disease processing class that is offered through Glendale Community College (GCC) dual enrollment. Medical terminology, electronic medical records, lifeguarding/water safety are also offered through GCC dual enrollment.

Once students are accepted into the Academy, in addition to completing academy coursework, they need to keep up with the program requirements. Everyone attends the Academy Picnic, Health Career Night, and the Academy Banquet. Other requirements include 25 hours per year of Academy participation, such as attending field trips, socials, career night, monthly meetings, lunchtime presentations on topics of interest and Academy movies. Seniors are required only 20 hours of participation, and also can be speakers at lunch presentations. In addition, seniors tutor or mentor other Academy students for 30 hours during the school year. Seniors must complete 40 internship hours. There is a scholarship available for graduating Academy seniors. At the Academy Banquet, seniors receive a special “red stethoscope” that they can wear at graduation; they are also given a Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health dictionary. All Academy students receive a T-shirt (sophomores) or polo shirt (juniors) to wear to Academy events.

There are many teachers at CVHS who are part of the Academy of Science and Medicine. Tuason is the Academy coordinator. She is a former engineer and clinical USC laboratory scientist who also currently works at Norris Cancer Hospital as a clinical microbiologist.

Ariana Coba and Claire Gantan, both seniors at CVHS, are currently the co-presidents of the Academy of Science and Medicine. Both took medical biology classes as freshmen, which is a gateway class to officially join the Academy in 10th grade.

“The Academy is a career path program,” said Gantan. “The members can get certain experiences that they wouldn’t have otherwise. There are a lot of different opportunities.”

“Ms. Tuason helps to find internships for Academy students,” added Coba.

All internships are completed senior year and require pre-approval.

“The Academy Picnic went well [this year],” said Coba. “The members brought food and we all ate together.”

“At the banquet, people bring multicultural food and have fun,” said Gantan. “The diversity in the program is evidenced by the variety of ethnic dishes in the potluck.”

At Health Career Night there are researchers and people in the medical field available to talk about careers in each field.

“It definitely helps you know what want and don’t want to do for your career,” said Coba.

Some of the careers that Academy students are training to enter include registered nurses (RN), licensed nurses assistant (LPN), dental and orthodontic technicians and assistants, dentists, pharmaceutical laboratory technicians, ultrasound technologists, medical transcriptionists, occupational therapists, sports medicine trainers and therapists, nutritionists, dentists, chiropractors, physicians (MD), physician assistants (PA), scientists, biotechnologists, science teachers and engineers.

Gantan said that the monthly trips are a lot of fun, adding that in October the students are going to Caltech.

Socializing is important to the program participants, too.

“We did a roller skating social in September. We watch science-related movies and go to lunch presentations where we get to connect with the presenters,” said Coba.

At the presentations, it is not unusual to find presenters who were previous Academy students.

Coba and Gantan served in leadership positions before becoming co-presidents of the Academy.

“I was president for the sophomore class and vice president of the junior class,” said Gantan. “I got to learn and help people.”

Both girls said they have learned a lot from their Academy experiences, which will help them in the future.

“This experience will help me determine a career path,” said Gantan. “I interned at a lab and formed relationships and friendships with people and it was very fun.”

“I think that this experience has taught me how to solve problems,” added Coba. “Not everything is going to go your way all the time, so it is good to know how to solve problems and work with what you have. This experience helps me connect with people and lead.”

Gantan plans on being an engineer and Coba is looking a career as an orthopedic surgeon.

“I would recommend the Academy for people because it helps narrow down what career to do,” said Gantan.

“The Academy helped me to find the career I want and I can also get community service through the Academy,” added Coba.

In addition, the students recommended being involved with other on campus clubs, including Key Club, California Scholarship Federation (CSF) and robotics.

Coba said one of her favorite field trips was to UCLA laboratories last year. For that field trip, over 50 students were allowed to tour three different working research laboratories that studied heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes and other complex disorders through both human and mouse model genetic studies. The professors who met wit the students have years of experience in scientific research and thousands of publications among them. They shared this knowledge with the Academy students.

Using a microscope, Academy students observed the changes to livers from mice fed a high-fat diet, resulting in fatty liver and obesity. Students also were able to see how researchers can measure overall body composition in mice using a “mini-mouse MRI” or Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine built specifically for animal models. Students saw a tissue culture room with cell culture lines, and spoke with graduate students who are unraveling the mysteries of DNA to determine novel genes in lipid and glucose metabolism to find underlying causes and cures for heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

After touring the scientific laboratories, the Academy students toured the UCLA campus and Student Union while grabbing lunch and returning to CVHS.

Several Academy members have achieved high honors in the sciences, such as scientific publications, winning the Science Bowl and Siemens competition in math, science, and technology, and placing as finalists at the Los Angeles County Science and Engineering Fair, California State Science Fair, and International Science and Engineering Fair.

As detailed in the Oct. 4 issue of the Crescenta Valley Weekly, the Academy of Science and Medicine at CVHS recently received GUSD board approval for construction of a new stand-alone classroom and lab with high-end equipment for medical science and sports medicine, such as a 3D anatomy table with touch screen and ultrasound. The new classroom bungalow project is funded by the Career Technical Education Incentive (CTEI) grant.

  Lori BODNAR