Windsor Mill Middle partnership with Northwest Hospital just one example of expanding the limits of learning - 3/1/07

As part of ongoing school-hospital partnership, Northwest Hospital respiratory therapist Lee Chiat teaches students about the organs of the respiratory system.

It is not difficult to see the economic ties that bind Baltimore County’s school system and its business community. It is the schools, after all, where students learn the skills necessary to compete for jobs in both the county and the global marketplace.

But in Baltimore County, the relationship isn’t just one way. Increasingly, business leaders are stepping up to partner with schools and educators – all for the purpose of broadening the educational opportunities available to students and preparing them for the future. By using the expertise of their in-house professionals, businesses offer valuable lessons to students about the exciting world of work that lies ahead for them and what they need to learn now to be prepared for their future careers.

That’s just part of the reason behind one of the school system’s newest school-business partnerships between Windsor Mill Middle School and nearby Northwest Hospital. In December 2006, the Randallstown hospital center announced its “Adopt-a-School” partnership during a new program developed between the hospital and school called “Freedom to Explore.”

The “Freedom to Explore” initiative pairs Northwest Hospital doctors and specialists with students as they explore the worlds of science, technology, engineering, and math. Each month, a different professional or group visits the school to discuss career opportunities in the allied health care field. Students have the opportunity to visit the hospital for hands-on learning and job shadowing experiences.

“As a part of the fabric of the community, Northwest Hospital has a responsibility to help those whom we serve,” said Erik Wexler, president and chief operating officer of the hospital center. “This program allows us to provide programming for students and to educate them about the role of health care in our community. We are thrilled to have launched this relationship.”

To kick off the speaker series portion of the program, a respiratory therapist at the hospital, Lee Chiat, visited Windsor Mill in conjunction with the “Great American Smokeout” and discussed respiratory health with about 60 students. In addition to teaching students about the organs of the respiratory system, Mr. Chiat also discussed the education necessary to become a health care professional, connecting the importance of doing well in school each day to reaching career goals.

Also in December 2006, a group of seventh graders learned about biology from David Hans, a cytologist from Northwest Hospital, who provided each student with a set of slides depicting various cells that students examined under a microscope.

“Our partnership with Northwest Hospital is opening many doors for our students at Windsor Mill,” said Principal Deborah Phelps. “It is providing them with knowledge of career exploration in the areas of medicine and health, job shadowing, and mentoring. The speaker series will build and enhance the relationship between the school house and the community. This is one of the greatest impacts on increased student achievement.”

Many of the partnership’s lessons come just as students are entering the college preparation phase of their educational careers. For many schools that benefit from the business community’s donation of time and talent, like Windsor Mill, the benefits are incalculable.

Adds Wexler, “These types of interactions give young people the freedom to explore their interests, broaden the scope of their expectations, and reach new heights of achievement.”

Story by Charles Herndon, communications specialist. Photos courtesy of Brian Schleter, LifeBridge Health.”

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