ASHTABULA — Conneaut sixth-grade students got a hands-on lesson on proper hand washing in the nursing department of the new Robert S. Morrison Health and Science Building at Kent State University-Ashtabula on Friday morning.
“Who wants to be a nurse?” asked assistant nursing professor Rowena Bautista of the sixth-grade students who sat expectantly inside the new nursing department. “It is a passion of a nurse to teach the proper way to wash your hands to prevent the spread of disease and infection.”
Students were surprised as Bautista exposed the germs on their hands, by shining a black light over them. The students then were given an opportunity to practice good hand-washing techniques and then see the results.
The nursing department workshop was just one of several breakout sessions the middle school students experienced at the college through the College by Six Program, made possible through a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR-UP) grant awarded to Conneaut Middle School through the Ashtabula County Continued Education Support Services (ACCESS) office.
“I feel this is important for the students to see they can truly grow up to become whatever they want, through a wonderful college close by,” said Sara Gleason, GEAR-UP adviser at Conneaut Middle School. “The grant had to be designated to one school, and after doing research, we chose Conneaut.” “Conneaut School District has a high graduation rate, but less than half go on to post secondary education. We are hoping by exposing children to college at a young age, we can turn that around,” Gleason said.
The purpose of the program, which is in its fourth year, is to get the children exposed to higher education early, said John Roskovics, assistant principal of Conneaut Middle School.
“We consider ourselves very fortunate to have a chance to do this, I believe there are only seven GEAR-UP districts in Ohio. Our students receive a T-shirt, tour different classrooms and have a provided lunch,” Roskovics said. “All of the professors who participate in the program volunteer their time to do this for our students.”
The academic areas the students were exposed to included math, science, nursing, business, theater arts, library science, biology, English and physical therapy.
“I talk about college all the time to my students, but here they get to experience it, and many of them have never seen Kent-Ashtabula,” said J.C. Lenk, Conneaut Middle School teacher.
Kayla Masirovits has dreams of becoming a doctor or occupational therapist someday, and the sixth-grader was impressed with her visit to KSUA.
“In the biology class, we got to see the DNA of a strawberry. That was fun and different,” she said.
Student Aaron Ledlow was thrilled with what he had experienced throughout the morning, especially in biology.
“I got to touch a human brain and see some cells under a microscope,” he said. “I want to go to college. I want to be a carpenter and a cartoonist.”
Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Conneaut sixth-graders get hands-on experience at KSUA
- Local News
-
-
Garage Sale Bonanza accepting donations at Saybrook Plaza store
Pat Graham pulls a shopping cart of random items through the cavernous storefront at the Saybrook Plaza.
-
Dog tied to Dumpster, abandoned in Geneva Township
The skinny dog choked on the rope holding him to a green Dumpster. People came and went, unsure of the hairless creature’s temperament. After awhile, people knew something had to be done — a dog can’t live tied to the garbage can.
-
Task Force nabs Ashtabula man in traffic death case
An Ashtabula man who served time in connection with a 2006 traffic death was arrested Friday morning by members of a special law enforcement task force, officials said.
-
No automatic recounts result from Ashtabula County May election
No problems, no glitches — and no automatic recounts — resulted from Ashtabula County’s May special election.
-
Plaque saluting Conneaut war dead to make debut
The names of 49 people who gave their lives during times of combat can now be found on a plaque that will be featured at Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony in Conneaut.
-
Ashtabula Downtown Development Association to explore restoration of theater — public asked for input
The Ashtabula Downtown Development Association (ADDA) has embarked on a process to study and make recommendations about the possible restoration of Shea’s Theater. The Association’s Economic Restructuring Committee will be exploring potential entertainment options for the theater, examining successfully restored theaters in other communities, and looking at issues of sustainability.
-
Students learn about the outdoors in Ashtabula Gulf
More than 275 fifth and sixth grade students spent half a day in the Ashtabula Gulf learning about nature, art and photography.
-
Children release butterflies at YMCA Learning Center
A line of more than 20 children walked carefully from the Ashtabula YMCA to a flower bed where they prepared for the annual butterfly release; symbolizing a change of life.
-
Prison workers improve Port of Conneaut Marine Memorial Park
Port of Conneaut Marine Memorial Park got a face-lift Friday with the help of the staff at Lake Erie Correctional Institution.
-
Local group proposes charter form of Ashtabula County government
County government could see a big change if a local group is successful in getting a proposed charter form of government on the November ballot.
- More Local News Headlines
-
