Andrew HS students learn anatomy at cadaver camp

The Science Department at Andrew High School offers a great variety of science electives to take in preparation for higher education, and to be better informed about the natural and physical world we live in. The natural progression through the science courses currently is Biology – Chemistry – Physics and then any elective. After taking chemistry, it is possible to double up in science in order to experience many more of the electives offered at Andrew: Earth and Space, Astronomy, Geology, Ecology, Animal Behavior, Anatomy & Physiology and AP Level Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Science.

This year’s Honors Anatomy and Physiology Class attended an Anatomy Short Course (more affectionately known as “Cadaver Camp”) at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. As an NIU alumni, their teacher, Julie Johnson, was able to orchestrate a weekend where these high school students were not only able to study already dissected human cadavers, but to also begin fresh dissections of their own! Dr.
Dan Olson, the manager of the NIU Human Cadaver Lab, entrusted Mrs. Johnson and her students to conduct dissections on one male and one female cadaver for other high school students to study throughout
this spring semester.

The group left for Northern on a Wednesday morning and returned on a Saturday afternoon. This “Cadaver Camp” weekend consisted of both cooperative learning and assisted dissection. The culminating experience at the end of this weekend is a student created portfolio that depicts the full story of their weekend, which included not only their assigned region of study/dissection that had been learned during first semester, but also their reactions to other major events, including a brain extraction and the exposure of the thoracic and abdominal cavities which will be the focus of semester two’s curriculum.

It was a great experience, but one that was almost not to be due to a donor shortage to NIU’s Cadaver lab. Last year’s trip had been cancelled due to the cadaver shortage and the impression at the start of this school year was that the program would not run again. It wasn’t until November that the invitation could be extended to Andrew High School when the donor numbers increased. A special thanks goes to the District 230 Board of Education and Superintendent, Dr. James Gay, along with Andrew High School Principal, Mr. Robert Nolting, Associate Principal, Ms. Abir Othman, and Science and FACS Division Chair, Mr. Jame Holt, for allowing the trip to happen with such short notice; chaperones Mary Kasper, Chris Radgowski, Cesar Rodriguez, Pam Zajac, Doug Noel, Kayla Noel, Don Mayo and Karyn Bissell; and teachers Jeff Janes, Kristina Bennett, and Chris Budnick, as well as all of the NIU contacts that helped make this trip possible! As long as
NIU is able to provide the opportunity, Cadaver Camp is a tradition Mrs. Johnson hopes to repeat for future Honors Anatomy Classes.

Her favorite part of the experience was watching these students come together to both accomplish the learning objectives and develop into a close-knit group of peers across multiple sections of the course.
Seniors enrolled in the course who attended Cadaver Camp this year include Eric Ballard, Kristian Banlaoi, Kelly Bissell, Elizabeth Brown, Alex D’Andrea, Supreet Dhaliwal, Samantha Dovgin, Josh Dyke, Marco
Gagni, Megan Hann, Susanna Kim, Annemarie Kozlowski, Josie Magnabosco, Hannah Mayo, Kelly Noel, Mohan Raval, Kyle Roberts, Rachel Rulla, Hayley Thielmann, Haley Zajac, Vera Zakhari, Nor Patricia Zarate, and Yanni Zentefis.

Juniors in attendance included Robin Hemmerich, Olivia Kasper, Elizabeth McDougall, Hala Nasereddin, Megan Petzold, Paige Radgowski, and Isabella Rizzuto. Students who took the course as a junior last year who were invited back as Teacher Assistants were Seniors Hinal Patel, Cassidy Richerme, and Matthew Rodriguez.