HEALTH SCIENCE feature
VINES AND BRAINS AND HEADS! Oh My!
Health Science Program Uses Project-Based Learning to Incorporate Academics and the Arts By Leanne Long
T
en years ago, as I walked into my first Vocational Instructor Preparation (VIP) class, known way back when as Preservice Orientation, I met an Allied Health teacher who was beginning her first year of teaching secondary students. I watched as she impressed me with innovative ideas for the classroom. She was focused on her students’ success and engaging them in learning through alternative teaching strategies. Meet Judy Dalgo, a Health Sciences instructor at Ocean Springs High School. She currently has 27 Year 1 students and 17 Year 2 students. In years past, there have been more than 60 students on the waiting list for Dalgo’s program. While there is no application process for acceptance into a Health Science class, there are qualifiers that Dalgo looks for in choosing the best students. Biology is the only prerequisite, but other factors for selection include GPA, absences, and discipline. This year, there were enough slots to accept all who met the qualifications, and she does her best to accept all who want to move to the second year of the program. A nurse for 12 years, Dalgo’s teaching background includes nine years at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College–Jackson County Campus where she primarily taught Level IV, which was the second year of Medical Surgical Nursing, covering topics like critical care, emergency, cardiology, neurology, and pulmonary. Fall 2013 CONNECTIONS 25