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OHS Leading the Way into the 21st Century

OVIEDO—When the school year began in August, Seminole County Public Schools unveiled an innovative Bioscience Technology Program at Oviedo High School (OHS) that’s capturing the attention of teenagers exploring career options near home and the local bioscience community.

More than 150 students—7 percent of the high school population—signed up for the three-year program. Sophomores understandably accounted for 37 percent of enrollees—program students represent 10 percent of the sophomore class, yet administrators were pleasantly surprised by the number of juniors and seniors who elected to pursue the program despite being unable to complete it before high school graduation.

Cream of the Crop Newsweek has recognized Oviedo High School, consistently ranked as an A school by the Florida Department of Education, among the top 3 percent of the nation’s public schools. With the school known for its tradition of academic excellence and innovation, the new, innovative Bioscience Technology Program represents an important component of the curriculum. “This past year’s AP scores at OHS represent the quality of education that exists at our school,” emphasized OHS principal Bobby Lundquist. “We administered 1,080 tests with 811 scores of three or better. This 69 percent pass rate far exceeds the national average.” With more than 66,000 students, the Seminole County Public Schools system ranked as the 51st largest school district in the United States in 2006. Nearly half of Seminole County’s public schoolteachers hold at least a master’s degree.

“It’s such an achievement to have recruited so many students in the inaugural year,” said Walt Griffin, executive director of secondary education for OHS. “I attribute it to the popularity and excitement of the three teachers in the program, and the great deal of interest students have in wanting to pursue something they know can help them in the future. We hope to attract even more students as we progress and organize.”

The new program at OHS, located in the heart of Central Florida’s bioscience corridor, is one of only five programs of its kind in the South, and was created specifically to address potential opportunities in the developing Lake Nona Medical City, located less than 20 minutes away.

Because bioscience encompasses all branches of science dealing with the structure and behavior of living organisms, teachers spend time during the recruitment phase—and at the beginning of the program—exploring the many career options available in the field with students. Among them: medicine and health, engineering and manufacturing, marine science, agriculture, research and development, business development, and legal patent and business law. Job opportunities include engineers, physicians, veterinarians, forensic scientists, chemists, computer science specialists and lawyers.

“Many times, students think about medicine and DNA when they think about bioscience, so they’re amazed to realize there’s much more to it,” said Kathy Savage, team leader for the program.

The Bioscience Technology Program has two strands—one oriented to post-secondary degrees, and the other suited for industry certification in positions such as lab technicians via local community colleges. Both strands include coursework in algebra, anatomy, biology, bioscience, biotechnology, calculus, chemistry, and geometry. The advanced strand includes honors and advanced placement (AP) courses for college credit.

The third year of the program primarily focuses on the real-world impact in the bioscience/biotech industry. Students are paired with mentors and provided job shadowing and internship opportunities.

Already, there’s plenty of positive chatter around Orlando about the program, which was highlighted in early fall when OHS hosted a county government meeting. At a breakfast for CEOs held recently, the spotlight was on OHS junior Amanda Guevarra, who shared her experience in the program.

“I spoke about how this course has already taught me the foundation, structure and function of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids, and how to apply that knowledge in the real world,” said Guevarra, whose grandfather recently passed away from complications of mesothelioma. She decided to study biomedical engineering and eventually conduct cancer research. “We’re exposed to a lot of techniques and equipment that will be used in the field I’m aiming to pursue. For example, we’ve done work with DNA extraction, learned how to study the entire genome of an organism simultaneously, and how to analyze gene expression, comparing cancer cells to healthy cells.

This program provides me with the perfect opportunity to cover ground now. I’m learning so much from it and gaining experience, and I’m really glad it’s offered here.”

Tags:

Amanda Guevarra, Amy Demins, Bill Vogel, Bioscience Technology Program, Bobby Lundquist, Kathy Savage, Lake Nona Medical City, Oviedo High School, P.J. Kreahling, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute., Seminole County Public Schools, Walt Griffin

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