Applications still being accepted for High School Alliance

Know of an Omaha-area high school student who would be interested in joining the 2011-12 UNMC High School Alliance?

Let him or her know applications are now being accepted.

Interested students from any of the participating school districts and Educational Service Unit 3 are eligible to apply. (See sidebar.)

District involvement Participating school districts include: Bellevue Public Schools; Bennington Public Schools; Council Bluffs Community Schools; Douglas County West Community Schools; ESU-3; Gretna Public Schools; Millard Public Schools; Omaha Public Schools; Papillion-LaVista School District; and Westside Community Schools.

Application forms can be found online at www.unmc.edu/alliance and must be received by 4 p.m., Feb. 28.

Only 50 students will be accepted into the alliance, which is a partnership between UNMC, the school districts and ESU-3.

Students must:

• Be at least 16;
  
• Entering their junior or senior years of high school at the start of the 2011-12 academic year; and
  
• Have completed algebra and biology.

Alliance courses cover a range of health care topics, such as:

• Human anatomy;
  
• Career exploration; and
  
• Medical decision-making.

The program lets high school students take college-level courses in preparation for health care careers.

The courses — specifically designed for high school students — are taught by UNMC faculty on the medical center campus. The program provides a hands-on learning experience that is different from what students would have access to at their high schools. Most of the courses offered in the program are eligible for dual enrollment credit with the University of Nebraska at Omaha.