Concord Schools get $210,000 for biomedical program
Elkhart, Ind. --- Concord Community Schools is getting a $210,000 grant for biomedical programs through the state of Indiana.
The grant was given through the Explore, Engage, and Experience grant from the state to expand student pathways that lead to high-wage and high-demand careers.
The program has been in the works for about a year.
It will start in elementary classes to build interest in biomedical sciences early on.
Concord Community Schools in Elkhart is preparing students for high-wage, high demand careers with a new hands-on learning program.
“They’ll be exposed to different facets of this career field, including studying the human brain just to get them exposed to the content. This is what the grant will be affording us that we weren’t sure we will be able to do,” said Assistant Superintendent for Educational Programming, Lisa Kendall.
The biomedical program will start in elementary school as part of their weekly STEM classes, then when students hit junior high, the program will be in its exploratory phase to introduce the career path to students. The bulk of the biomedical classes are at the high school level to meet the career path requirement for graduation.
“It will be focused on infection, medical infections, which then leads to the high school programming where they will go through human body systems, medical interventions just so there is that wide array that will funnel up to that high school pathway,” said Kendall.
Concord is partnering with the Horizon Educational Alliance to help link students with field experience opportunities and get connected with field professionals to show students what is out there in the medical field.
“Horizon is providing these experiences, but what we ultimately want to do is when a student is a senior we embed them into our work-based learning program so that they have an actual half day experience in the medical profession,” Kendall told ABC57.
The program will begin in the fall with a class of 120 students, with enrollment tripling by the 2023-2024 school year.