Inside a rather non-descript classroom at Temple High School’s (THS) Career & Technical Education (CTE) Center, you’ll find students performing emergency medical procedures.
While the work is done on mannequins, the 14 students in the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) practicum are preparing to serve the public when they graduate from THS.
“It’s gonna help me in my future,” senior Martha Aldaiz says as she takes a break from performing CPR. “I plan to go to medical school and I want to be a pediatric doctor, and help kids and have a big impact on their lives.”
The course is run in conjunction with Temple College, where students learn on a simulated ambulance, and get experience on a working ambulance.
The students also earn dual college credit with a tuition cost of $638 per student.
The student pays $200. A $5,000 donation from the Temple Education Foundation picks up the rest.
“It’s very helpful and generous. Without it, I probably wouldn’t have been able to take this class,” said Aldaiz.
But enrollment continues to grow, with a record 14 students in the 2016-2017 practicum, and that created a problem. A $1,132 funding gap.
When CTE Director Denise Ayres brought up the gap to Temple High School’s Business and Industry Council, in stepped CTE business partner Panel Specialists, Inc. (PSi) to make up the difference.
“We want to have a positive impact on our community and an investment in our young people is an investment in our community,” said PSi Executive Vice President Gary Kosel.
“We would have students not be able to take the class without this donation,” Ayres said.
The impact is not lost on the students, either.
Senior Daniela Rodriguez said, “I feel very grateful because a lot of us don’t have that money lying around. It makes us feel really appreciative that there are people that want us to strive and go farther in life.”
Even more impressive, “This donation is amazing because PSi doesn’t particularly pertain to EMT. This shows how much we have business and industry partners who truly care about our student’s education.”
PSi is a Finance and Industry partner, not a Health Science partner.
“Our mission is to enhance lives. The learning environment is an environment that is very important to us. We need our medical staff. So, we fully support children embarking on this field,” said Elliot Germany, PSi president.
And that spirit is making an impression on the students that goes far beyond the class. In fact, they all wrote heartfelt notes of thanks to the PSi team.
“It’s rare to find people that are just willing to give money to complete strangers. It shows there are actually still nice people out there,” Rodriguez said.
“We were committed from the beginning but getting these cards is the icing on the cake. It confirms our belief that THS has a great program and teachers that care and it shows in the kids and confirms our belief that great things are going on in this school,” Germany said.
That belief from business partners allow these THS students to graduate with the college credit and certifications necessary to immediately begin working on an ambulance and start saving lives.
“I think it’s really important because I get to go out there and see what it’s like. It’s definitely put me on the right track and it keeps me on the right track,” Aldaiz said, just before returning to medical procedure practice on a mannequin.