On Tuesday, September 27, Mrs. Kapenga's classes had a very special visitor. Alison Gillum from Gift of Life Michigan visited the Anatomy and Biology classes throughout the day and brought real-life human organs that have been preserved for education through the 'All of Us' program.
"All of Us program is an award-winning program where we bring out fun resources like human organs and tissue samples to teach the students about organ and tissue donation, why people need transplants, and different jobs as well."
Students were not only able to touch and hold the organs but also learned about organ donation, transplants, and surgeries.
"We use these organs as a tool to teach students about their health and show them the kind of damage that vaping or smoking could do to lungs and some other diseases that could potentially affect an organ."
Mrs. Gillum also explained to the students all of the different options they have in the medical field, should they choose to explore that career. Several students throughout the day say they're now interested in that pathway moving forward.
"My biggest takeaway was seeing how all of the organs fit inside of our bodies and it was such a cool experience to get to feel them and hold them," said Hamilton High School junior, Caia Andrews.
After learning about the organs in textbooks, it was a great experience for the students to see them up close.
"It was cool to see all of the different organs because they looked different than they did in pictures. This is really cool because it's so hands on," said fellow junior, Alaina Banks.
You can watch the full video of today's classes by clicking here. Disclaimer: the video features visuals of human organs.
