The Kinesiology Human Performance Lab (HPL) hosted 38 Idaho high school students for an interactive tour and educational field day on June 23. The high school students who participated were part of the GEAR UP Idaho program and are interested in sports medicine.
GEAR UP Idaho provides services to selected public schools with a student population where 50 percent or more qualify for free or reduced lunch under the National School Lunch Act. The program focuses on early planning and strategies to help high school students get ready for college by creating a six year learning plan where students take common college and work-preparatory classes.
High school students were placed into groups and participated in six stations: introduction to careers in kinesiology, Olympic weightlifting, testing power and agility, introduction to careers in health and wellness, and introduction to electrocardiography. Activities were conducted in the HPL, classrooms on Norco first floor, and outdoor stations.
“The setup for our large group was perfect. It enabled students to actively learn about the different programs within the [Kinesiology] Department as well as tour the facility,” said Heather Nyby, GEAR UP Idaho. “It was a great experience for our students.”
Graduate students Clare Zamzow and Hayden Hess set up a three hour activity for the high school students to show them examples of career possibilities in sports medicine as well as the capabilities of the HPL. Marlee Harris, dietitian for Health Services, Lauren Baines and Holly Levin health educators for Health Services, Scott Conger, assistant professor, and Tim Kempf, clinical assistant professor for the School of Allied Health Sciences Department of Kinesiology, as well as other graduate and undergraduate students, volunteered to make the high school students’ day memorable.