D’Shaun Tyler, right, a junior at Maurice J. McDonough High School and physical rehabilitation student at the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center, takes Charles County Public Schools employee Latrese Carter’s blood pressure during a health fair held at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building.
La Plata, MD – March 4, 2020 – High school juniors in the pharmacy technician and physical rehabilitation Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs at the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center held a health fair yesterday at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building.
This is the second year Stethem students held the event. The first year was staged at the center, but student feedback prompted organizers to switch up locations to allow students the chance to interact with more people outside of peers and staff members they see every day.
Stations included blood pressure checks, height and weight checks, a lung peak flow challenge and office exercises. (Tip from junior De’Mari Freeman, a physical rehabilitation student — “Don’t use a chair with wheels” if you try chair pushups or chair lunges.)
There was information on HIPPA rights, coronavirus, hydration, heart attack symptoms in men and women, and signs of a concussion.
The health fair not only gave students the opportunity to share their knowledge about what they are learning in their classes, they get to work on communication skills.
“…Talking to people, we are learning from them, too,” Jordan McCoy, a junior pharmacy technician student, said.
The physical rehabilitation and pharmacy technician are two-year opt-in programs that students can apply to. They start the programs in their junior year of high school, splitting the school day between Stehem and their home schools.
Many of the students in the pharmacy tech and physical rehab programs want to explore careers in the health and medical field. “I like organization and I like helping people,” junior Alexandria Camp, a pharmacy technician student, said.
D’Shaun Tyler, a junior in the physical rehabilitation program, is interested in neurology. “I want to solve medical mysteries and help people,” he said.
