Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School Frequently Asked Questions, April 2011

What is a Health and Bioscience High School and why is it important that Evergreen Public Schools builds this type of school?

The Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School (HeLa High) is a proposed small high school with a curriculum focused on bioscience and healthcare. Evergreen Public Schools is partnering with PeaceHealth Southwest Washington Medical Center and other health care institutions to provide students with opportunities for hands-on educational experiences.

This high school is intended to prepare local students for high-demand, living wage jobs in the fastest growing industry in the United States. Ten of the 20 fastest growing occupations are healthcare-related, and healthcare is one of the largest employment sectors, providing 14.3 million jobs. Healthcare is expected to generate 3.2 million new jobs between 2008 and 2018, more than any other industry, largely in response to rapid growth in the elderly population. It is hoped that the Health and BioScience Academy will provide healthcare services for local residents, strengthen the local community by bolstering the local tax base, and help to ensure that Vancouver and Clark County are able to meet the challenges presented by the aging of their population.

What does Bioscience mean?

Biosciences integrate the latest research and scientific discoveries in biology with other science and technology disciplines. Cutting edge molecular, cellular, and genetic processes (processes involving DNA and proteins) are applied to real world products and services for human, animal, and agricultural improvements. The biosciences are used in a wide variety of career fields, including health and medicine, food production, renewable energy, and environmental clean-up, as well as up-and-coming fields like nanotechnology.

When will HeLa High open?

It is scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.

How many new teachers and staff will have to be hired to staff this one school?

There will be no additional teaching positions required to staff the Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School.  Students who will attend HeLa High are currently being served in other buildings in the district.  As students move from their existing school to HeLa High, staff will be moved from other high schools to accommodate the shift.  Administratively there will be one Principal hired for the school.   Non-instructional staff will be hired at a level similar to the way our middle schools are staffed. 

How much additional total payroll will be associated with this one school?

Current estimates would put additional payroll for this school at $320,000, which includes a principal, and six classified positions.

How much will it cost to operate and maintain the facility?

Operational costs of HeLa High are estimated at approximately $670,000 annually.  Utilities, maintenance, transportation, and custodial costs are estimated at approximately $350,000, and additional payroll mentioned above is estimated at $320,000.

How much will taxes be increased on every homeowner in the District as a result of this one school?

No taxes will be increased to homeowners as a result of the opening of the Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School.  Total costs to construct the school were covered by use of Federal Stimulus Bonds, a previously authorized state grant, Impact Fees, and state matching revenues. 

The additional operational costs will be covered by previously authorized Maintenance & Operations levy dollars.

Does anyone in Evergreen School District care that the voters overwhelmingly rejected this school two years ago?

In May 2008 the voters of Evergreen School District voted against a bond proposal that included a Health and Bioscience High School.  After the failure, the Evergreen Citizen’s for Schools (a citizen’s committee supporting the bond), commissioned a scientific survey of district voters by Conklin, Fiskum and McCormick to determine the reasons for the failure.  The majority of those responding to the survey indicated it was concern with increased taxes, and the condition of the economy that led them to vote no.  The survey indicated a minority had concerns with specific items in the bond proposals, but for the majority it was the economy, and the potential impact on taxes.

What were the reasons the Evergreen School Board authorized the project at this time?

The Superintendent and School Board considered many aspects before deciding to move forward with the HeLa High including:

• Over-crowding: The High Schools in Evergreen School District are currently over-crowded.  There is a need for an additional high school facility to house these students.  The question of adding a high school was when it will be constructed; instead of should it be constructed.  Because of the over-crowding at the high school level Evergreen qualifies for state construction matching funds.
• Cost effectiveness: Moving forward with the project at a time when construction costs are low because of the economy makes good fiscal sense.  Interest on the Federal Stimulus Bonds will be paid by the federal government, which saves tax-payers an estimated $7 million in financing costs.  By moving forward with the project the district qualifies for over $10 million in state construction matching funds.  There is no guarantee in the future that state matching funds will be available with the current state budget situation.  It is estimated that by moving forward with construction at the present time it will save taxpayers in excess of $20 million including the items mentioned above, and construction inflation increases.
• High demand program.  In 2002, Evergreen received $200,000 from the Governor to investigate high school medical programs to meet high demand needs in the healthcare industry.  Since 2002, Evergreen has developed unique partnerships within the community to determine needs, obtain in-kind contributions to develop curriculum, donated equipment, and mentoring opportunities for students.

I want my student to do Running Start as a junior and senior - will that be permitted? 

This topic is being explored. Keep in mind that the Health and BioScience Academy will have an extensive list of advanced math and science coursework as well as specialized health and bioscience areas (pharmacy, patient care services, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and health informatics) which until now, have primarily only been offered at a college level. These offerings are unique to HeLa High and an exceptional opportunity for students in our district. We are currently exploring articulation with local colleges to provide college credit while taking these courses at HeLa High.

What happens if I get there and I don’t like it, or it’s too hard, or my grades drop, etc…Can I transfer back to my "home" high school? Can I transfer at semester break or do I have to wait until the end of a year?

Our goal is to ensure all students are successful and as such, we will have intervention strategies to support struggling students. However, students will have an opportunity to transfer back to their home high school.

I understand that driving to/from HeLa High won’t be permitted, so that means a "closed campus?" So, what about lunch, etc. - will there be a good lunch room with plenty of food choices? Will we be allowed to walk off campus at lunch?

Evergreen must ensure that we are operating as a "good neighbor" to local residents and businesses. As such, students will not be authorized to drive to and from the high school.  This does mean a closed campus with the exception of students walking to a local medical facility to participate in an internship or other worksite learning experience. The school will have a lunch area and a variety of healthy food choices will be offered.

Will the buses get us back to our "home" high schools in time for sports practice and what about the times we have to leave for meets/matches/games before school is out - how will that work?

Yes, we will develop a transportation policy that allows students to return to their home high school at the end of the day to participate in activities such as sports and marching band.

Will there be band/choir available? Will I have to go back to my neighborhood high school if I want to do marching band? Will we have concerts, etc. like the other high school music programs?

At a small high school with limited physical space, we must make choices in the number of program offerings. Some form of music and/or art will be available to students. For students choosing to participate in areas such as marching band, they will be bused to their home school at the end of the day.

Will there be foreign languages available? Which ones?

Yes. At this time the two languages under consideration are Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

How closely will this high school work with the medical center - will my freshman or sophomore get to take part in the "clinical" stuff, or will they have to wait until junior/senior status?

There will be many opportunities for students to interact with the medical center and other healthcare institutions. This may include job shadows, facility tours, guest speakers, equipment demonstrations, "skyping" with healthcare professionals and inventors, internships, clinical practicums, etc. Depending on the institution, most clinical experiences associated with patient care will start at the junior or senior year after the student has completed coursework specific to infection control, patient confidentiality, legal aspects, CPR/first aid, etc.

Will there be clubs and activities that aren’t related just to health or the biosciences - like DECA, Knowledge Bowl, and Student Leadership/ASB?

There will be clubs and activities that are related to health and bioscience such as HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America), but also opportunities for Student Leadership/ASB, Science Olympiad, etc. Students are generally the drivers of the clubs and activities that best meet their needs - new clubs will be created based on interest.

How will colleges know about the school when we start applying for college?

The high school will be accredited just as any other high school. Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited status is granted by the agency.

Will there be Advance Placement (AP) classes available at HeLa High (and not just in math and science)?
 
Still under discussion; however, students will be AP ready to take assessments.

Are there things that will be part of the school curriculum that must be covered by shadow experience or is the expectation that the work shadow element will cover topics not included at the school level?

Shadow experiences provide a student with an opportunity to observe a professional in the course of his or her daily work. When this is not available due to patient confidentiality, etc., a student may interview a professional in a field of study the student is researching and write a reflective paper. There is no expectation that the mentor provide instruction to the student at the job shadow level.

Can any of the onsite rotations count toward the next degree level? Will students receive credit toward their degree in pharmacy-related careers?

As the specialized area - such as pharmacy - work with medical partners and post-secondary institution, our goal is to establish methods for students to both earn credits and seamlessly transfer to the next step in their post-high school plans.

Will each of the district’s four curriculum areas require shadow experiences only at the hospital?

No. Our plan is to have a vast number of medical partners in the community so that we do not overload our partners. For example, students pursuing an interest in Biotechnology may participate in tours and interviews with staff at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU).

Generally, experiences for ninth grade students start out small and build to internship level opportunities at the 11th and 12th grade level. For ninth grade students, the experience may be a tour of multiple facilities and interviewing a professional. Additionally, we screen students for appropriateness of participating in a job shadow. For some students, this may not be a good match and other activities will be identified.

Who will teach the classes at the high school level and what will the role of the medical and bioscience partners be with this work?

In some instances such as specialized curriculum areas of pharmacy and nursing services, professionals from the medical field will be hired. This will be a hire by the district. The staff member is then enrolled in teacher certification coursework to develop the teaching pedagogy.

Students, who participate in internships in their junior or senior year, will need to be connected with mentors at various sites. Mentors will work with students to implement the skills they have learned in their specialized area. The mentor supervises the student and provides evaluation. This will be done in coordination with a clinical coordinator hired by the high school.

How is this high school different than the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) high school being planned in the Vancouver School District?

HeLa High is a STEM high school with a specific focus on the high demand career fields of health & biosciences.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects are at the heart of a wide variety of jobs and professions, all of which are founded on essential problem solving skills. STEM includes careers within health and biosciences. For example, chemical, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences are specific to creating high quality drugs or chemicals, testing them to ensure they are effective and safe, and monitoring their effect on people and the environment.

With the unique opportunity to co-locate our high school on a hospital campus, HeLa High students will have an opportunity to explore multiple facets of math, science, technology, and engineering through the lens of medical and bioscience application while seeing medical professionals in action.

Coursework takes the skills learned in math and science and applies the learning with the application of engineering and technology. For example, engineering courses will explore the use of nanotechnology robotics in the use of prosthetics or in the manipulation of cells within fluids.  Pharmacy may look at how nanoparticles are developed to deliver therapeutic agents to a gland in the eye. Taking a look at the rapid change in technology, students may look at the growing field of health informatics where bioinformatics has emerged to support ongoing developments in molecular biology. These are just a few examples of the many unique opportunities awaiting students at HeLa High.

What are the specific programs of study that HeLa High will offer?

HeLa High will offer the following five areas of study:

• Nursing Services: The field of health care that includes collecting patient data, diagnosing symptoms, planning care, following treatment protocol, and evaluation. Nurses work in a large variety of specialties where they work independently and as part of a team to improve the health of individuals.
• Pharmacy: The field that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and ensures the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs. Pharmacists are the experts on drug therapy and are the primary professionals who optimize medication use to provide patients with positive health outcomes.
• Biomedical Engineering: The field of engineering that studies the application of material science in the development of therapeutic technologies and devices. Kidney dialysis, pacemakers, artificial joints, and prostheses are some of the products of biomedical engineering.
• Biotechnology: The field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring the development of bio-products.
• Biomedical Informatics: The field concerned with the optimal use of information, often aided by technology, to improve healthcare and biomedical research. Applications include clinical informatics and health information management.

Is HeLa High open to any student in Evergreen Public Schools?

It is expected that homes on the site will be demolished or removed in the middle of May 2011 but that site construction will not begin until August 2011. It is anticipated that the project will be predominantly completed in January of 2013 with final completion in April of 2013 after the interiors are finished, permits are closed out, and furniture and equipment are moved in.