New career specific classes coming to OHS in the fall of 2023

New+classes+get+introduced+to+OHS+coming+in+the+fall+of+2023.+

Andres Contreras

New classes get introduced to OHS coming in the fall of 2023.

Andres Contreras, Writer

Along with the creation of the new OHS next year, there will be new classes coming into the school. In the fall of 2023, students can be enrolled in Foundations of Health Science I, Health Science II, Firefighter I, Firefighter II/Hazmat and Foundations in emergency care. These are four of the eight classes that will be new to the OHS curriculum beginning this fall. 

The Human Performance course will be led by both Ryan Guenther and Jerry Eggermont, two of the OHS strength training coaches. This class will give students the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills on careers in personal training, strength and conditioning, wellness and health and an introduction to community-based fitness settings. Students who are looking to have a career related to health, sports performance, or kinesiology are recommended to take this class. Guenther said, “The Human Performance class will be a higher class that will be going more in depth and have higher content. We will go into more detail about bar speed, velocity training, and figure out the reasoning in why everything works and the science behind it all.” 

Students will have the opportunity to be in the weight room and indoor track environment four days out of the week where they will focus on speed training and utilizing the new equipment along with the turf, and be in a classroom environment the fifth day. Throughout the course, they will try to have speakers who have specialized in these fields to come and speak about their careers. 

I’m absolutely pumped in teaching this class. I love the science behind all of it. This is my “Why?” so I’m excited to implement that why to my students. This is what I really want to do so I’m excited I can give that to the students.

— Ryan Guenther

Students, at times, will also be able to have the opportunity to take field trips and experience a real life environment training program as well as have the opportunity to job shadow. Whether one wants to specialize in a health field or not, this is not required to take this class; if students enjoy athletic performance, working in a gym environment or even bettering their knowledge about their bodies and how to improve their bodies they’re more than welcome to take this class. Guenther said, “I’m absolutely pumped in teaching this class. I love the science behind all of it. This is my why so I’m excited to implement that why to my students. This is what I really want to do so I’m excited I can give that to the students.”

Students will have needed to take Strength Training I and II prior to taking this class. Guenther hopes to have a Human Performance course II later down the road in which students will be able to go out and have filed experience with someone in athletic training including a personal/occupation trainer or a therapist. That way, they would be exposed to this environment of exercise science prior to graduating high school.

Both firefighter classes, Firefighter I and Firefighter II/Hazmat, will be taught next fall. This class will give students who want to be firefighters an opportunity to get the required training and information for this field. Students will be able to take a test after taking these two classes, once they are 18, to become an official firefighter. The class is recommended for mostly juniors and seniors since you have to be 18 years of age to take the firefighter exam. While taking this class, students will learn how to confine and extinguish a fire, and be able to have a fast acting approach to a dangerous environment and quickly decide what actions need to be taken. 

Firefighter II and Hazmat will be the second class required for the Minnesota State Fire Certification Board Exam. This class will be going more in depth about what it takes to be a real life fireman. Students will learn what to do if they come across a dangerous chemical in the field. It will also focus on not just extinguishing the fires, but protecting the people, environment and themselves while simultaneously getting everyone to safety. They will be trained on how to safely contain a chemical fire without spreading it from a safe distance. Students will need to take Firefighter I before taking this class. They will also be taught how to save people from dangerous environments. This class will be taught by Ryan Seykora, an Owatonna firefighter. 

Foundations in Emergency Care is a new class that will be administered to the OHS curriculum in the fall of 2023 and will be taught by teacher Mr. William Blechschimdt. Throughout this class, students will learn how to properly perform CPR to someone, how to act quickly and responsibly when someone needs aid and how to tell universal precautions.

Blechschimdt said, “If you are interested in knowing what to in situations like if your grandparent were having a stroke or a heart attack, of if your younger sibling gets an allergic reaction to a bee sting, or if you/ your friend fall and get a huge gash on your body, knowing what to do in these situations is so incredibly important.” 

I hope students are prepared to be able to respond to an emergency situation, because in these stations people tend to freeze and to panic. My hope is that if students have learned about it and practiced it they’ll be able to know how to respond in that life or death situation

— William Blechschimdt

Students will also learn the proper medical terminology and body systems of the human body. If students have career goals of becoming a doctor, a nurse, an EMT, or anywhere in healthcare, they are strongly recommended to take this class. Students are still recommended to take this class even if they are not looking for a future career in this specific field because the information being taught can still be very helpful for students.

Blechschimdt said, “I hope students are prepared to be able to respond to an emergency situation, because in these stations people tend to freeze and to panic. My hope is that if students have learned about it and practiced it they’ll be able to know how to respond in that life or death situation.” At the end of the quarter long class, students will have the opportunity to become and get tested to be an American Heart Association CPR/AED certified instructor. 

The resourcefulness of these new skills being taught to OHS students next fall will leave an everlasting impact on the Owatonna community. Students interested in these classes can learn more about their future careers and their possible fields of study due to the many opportunities given next year.