A new class was added to Upper Columbia Academy this year: anatomy and physiology dual credit (APDC), which is taught by Judy Castrejón. The course is offered with the coordination of Walla Walla University in such a way that students who take pass the course automatically receive a total of eight college quarter-hour credits.
Because this class is being taught as a “college” class, there is a limited number of students accepted each year, and the information is covered very quickly. Although it is much more intense than most high school classes, it is rather fascinating and exciting. Students are able to develop a real and deep understanding of the intricate and wonderful design of our bodies. The complexity of how our bodies move and work is extremely intriguing and often taken for granted.
As well as learning and listening to lectures, students have lab opportunities to get a full hands-on experience and visual understanding of what they are learning. For the past several months, they have been memorizing bones, joints, muscles and much more.
They also have dissected rabbits, a more difficult process than most students imagined. First, they skinned the rabbits, which took several days, and then looked for and uncovered the muscles. Muscles are extremely difficult to learn and memorize because they all look the same. So, being able to visualize them is helpful. Yes, humans and rabbits are very different, but they share many of the same muscles, which is helpful during the dissecting process. APDC so far has been a blast, and Castrejón makes it very enjoyable to learn.
The human body is amazing, and everyone in the class has begun to have a much closer look at the complex design. We are God’s perfect creation, fearfully and wonderfully made.
Hailee Huenergardt, Upper Columbia Academy senior
Kaitlyn Kramer dissects a rabbit in an Anatomy and Physiology lab where students identify muscle groups similar to those of humans.
