LOW MOOR — Four Jackson River Technical Center students have earned the opportunity to compete as a team in the National Anatomage Tournament set to take place at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on June 1.
Brooklynn Hicks, Laken Cantrell, Haylee Harmon and Tyra Rose won the right to compete in the national tournament after finishing fourth in a regional event that was held in Fredericksburg in February. The four girls are juniors at Alleghany High School. This is JRTC’s first year of competing in this style of competition.
High school students from throughout the United States are invited to qualify for the National Anatomage Tournament at local and state tournaments. Students must finish among the top teams in any official Anatomage tournament held from January to May.
The JRTC team is currently raising funds to help offset the cost of the trip, which is expected to range from $5,000 to $6,000. The money will be used to cover travel, accommodations, and food.
The team is planning to hold fundraisers, including an upcoming doughnut sale. Donations are also being accepted at Jackson River Technical Center through April 30. Checks can be written to Jackson River Technical Center, with “Anatomage Tournament” written in the memo. The mailing address for JRTC is 105 Country Club Lane, Covington, VA, 24426.
“These girls have a good chance of winning in this tournament. They’ve been practicing their skills as a team every day on the Anatomage table and do really, really well. They will be tough competitors,” said Ginni Philips, who serves as the healthcare advancement coordinator for Alleghany Highlands Public Schools, leading a program known as Alleghany Highlands Advancement (AHA): Healthcare.
Phillips will be serving as a chaperone on the trip along with Johnell Cantrell, the Nurse Aide instructor at JRTC.
The JRTC team has a competitive advantage because it regularly practices on an Anatomage table at the center. The table was delivered to JRTC in January 2023 and it’s used in health science classes and programs. In simple terms, the table looks like a 21st-century version of the game “Operation.” The table features photos taken of cadavers that are put into digital format to create the various networks and systems that make up the human body. The high-tech tables remain rare in high school settings.
“We have a definite advantage heading into this national competition because a lot of the teams we will compete against do not have daily access to an Anatomage table like we do,” Phillips said.
In the competitions, teams are tested on how quickly they can identify specific anatomical features of the human body, as they tap on items such as the left pulmonary artery or right fibula and then tap another button to confirm their selections.
The National Anatomage Tournament is designed to support students’ anatomy and physiology learning while fostering collaboration and teamwork.
With approximately 2,700 students, AHPS was created when Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center merged in July 2022. The school division is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.
AHPS news and events are regularly updated on Facebook at AHPublicSchools and Instagram at ahpublicschools. Information is also available at www.ahps.k12.va.us.
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