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Hispanic students get 'real world' boost By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings Cultivating an interest in education can be a feat. The Project Health program entitled "Making School Relevant: Embarking on a Career Path in Nursing," is designed to help middle and high school Hispanic students see the importance of education and how classroom concepts really do apply in the real world. Focusing on at-risk students, the program promotes education through hands-on activities, field trips and one-on-one mentoring. Wendy Neander, assistant professor of nursing at Southern Oregon University, created the program after moving to Ashland in 1999. Oregon Health Science University-Ashland Campus nurses (facing from left) Mona Bahneman and Abigail Rojas go over flash cards with Phoenix High School students Aleia Fitzgerald, Yolanda Velasquez and Zuhma Nunez as part of Project Health program. Ashland Daily Tidings/CHRIS MILLER "What I wanted to do was broaden their (students) world view and to say 'yes, you can do this,'" Neander said. "By connecting them to nursing students that were in a university, they got their eyes opened that this is a possibility." Neander said her interest in nursing in addition to ethnic diversity acted as a spring board for a pilot program, which initially involved nine Talent Middle School girls who were in danger of dropping out or becoming disconnected from school. The girls were partnered with Oregon Health and Science University-Ashland Campus nursing students who study at SOU, assisting their older mentors in measuring body mass indexes, blood pressure checks and vision screening at Talent Elementary School. The girls had weekly study visits with their mentors and even went to SOU to view a cadaver and to the Rogue Valley Medical Center to see the different areas nurses worked in. According to Teresa Sayre, principal of TES and former assistant principal of TMS, the program directly influenced student performance. "We looked at their GPA at the beginning and at the end of the program and with the exception of one or two students, all improved academically," Sayre said. Sayre added that students who participate in the program must commit to attending class and turning in assignments. The pilot program, which concluded at the end of the 2001 academic year, was allowed to continue when $39,000 in funds were secured through the Northwest Health Foundation. The Project Health program is now in full swing with 20 students in the Phoenix-Talent School District participating. Risa Buck, mediator for the Eagle Point School District and a coordinator for Project Health, said approximately 10 Eagle Point middle and high school students are currently in the program with many more waiting to participate. "I have a full page of about 30 kids that administrators and teachers have said 'please get them into the program,'" Buck said. Buck said she's hesitant to let the program develop further because of time and space constrictions related to Eagle Point Middle School's destruction by fire at the start of the year. Both middle and high school students are currently occupying the high school facility. As students reap the benefits of having a personal mentor, Ashland-based nursing students gain field experience while encouraging the development of their younger peers. According to Mona Bahneman, a senior in OHSU nursing studies at SOU, the project allows her to understand what the needs are of different cultures. "Educationally, you learn what kinds of issues this population is facing and what needs a culture has and what impact it has on their health," Bahneman said. Bahneman and her classmate Abigail Rojas, also a senior, are participating in the program as part of their graduation requirements. However, the program is offering more than just credit hours. "It's rewarding in that you get to connect with these younger people," Bahneman said. Bahneman said several Phoenix High School students are interested in discussing the impact smoking has on health with elementary students. They are also very interested in working with children in hospitals. "We're trying to get the group up to Doernbechers Children Hospital (based in Portland) for an overnight visit," she said. As the program continues, mentors are seeing the direct impact of their contribution to education. "We already have a couple of girls who are freshmen who have asked what kind of requirements they would need to go into nursing," Bahneman said. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -