The new health academy for health and human services held an open house to honor the first year of health academy students’ progress.

“This is an event that is giving us an opportunity to open our doors to the public to see all the moving pieces that have come together to showcase this new academy and let the kids welcome people into them their hard work so far,” teacher Sarah Miller said.

Student ambassadors and teachers also wanted to showcase their new technology and curriculum to the community.

“This ceremony is to allow people in the community and parents to see what our academy is about,” teacher Bryant Sebastian said, ” and just get it out there to let people know that we are here, so if kids in the future are interested, they can get involved and get other community members involved as well.”

Freshmen ambassadors in the health academy are thinking four years ahead.

“We basically learn stuff about the medical field that other schools usually leave to college,” freshman Muhammad Zubaidi said, “so we are more prepared to be in the medical field after hands on training.”

Freshman Samantha Seroca is an ambassador this year.

“I am in the HSS program,” freshmen Samantha Seroca said, “I’m a ninth grader. I just started this year. It is very exciting, and I love this program so far. It’s new, and so cool.”

“The data reviewed for future job openings in the next decade in the field of Health and Human Services is showing to be one tremendous need, ” principal Youngblood said.

“We then help with leaders in the medical industry that truly understand in what areas of need they see the future for their workplaces,” Youngblood said.

There are three branches created for the academy. The first branch is rehabilitation services, personal training, athletic training, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. The second branch is public safety, EMT, paramedic. The third is therapeutic services, patient care technicians, nursing, PA’s, and doctors.

“Each one of these branches that we offer give our students a chance to have a certification,” Youngblood said. “Which will allow them to be hired directly to this field right out of high school, if that’s the route they choose. One of the differences between a regular classroom and what we are offering is that all of our disciplines work together,” Youngblood said, “and all of them are in the medical lens. All of our teachers plan together for group projects to try to tie in all the academics as best as they can with the medical topic at hand. For example, if during principles of biomedical science, we are studying outbreaks our math teacher may tie in with their class some statistical analysis.

Super intendent Robert Monroe was a speaker at this event and talked about how the program has progressed over the years.

“The staff made this happen working with the school community here at Utica high. They have had a strong medical program in CTE for quite some time, but now they have just taken it to a new level. It is absolutely a needed field and a growing field that will continue to grow as we articulate in our world and our educational practices. Because of the work that they have done they are opening up doors to business and industry partnerships. Watching the teachers here over the years, they are absolutely phenomenal at what they do. Students that are not only in the program but future students of the program you are just going to have a wonderful opportunity to engage with great things.”

County Executive Mark Kavanaw shares his own personal experience of what opportunities he possibly missed out on.

“Many of the parents, adults and myself included really didn’t know when we got out of high school where we wanted to go. I was one of those that wasn’t sure didn’t know what to do, but if I would’ve had one of those academies, I might’ve been able to explore something early on that might’ve just piqued my interest then I could’ve figured out that that might be my passion.”