New Visions: Health Careers students rock HOSA competition
Students in Mr. Paravella's New Visions: Health Careers class brought home top awards from the Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) Conference, March 26-28 at the Syracuse Doubletree Hotel. Seven New Visions students competed against more than 175 students from 20 HOSA chapters from across the state  and rocked the competition, bringing home first place in Medical Math, second in Medical Spelling, second in Extemporaneous Medical Poster, and third in the HOSA Bowl, a four-person "Jeopardy"-like competition of medical knowledge.

Competing were New Visions students: Jenna Lohre (Niskayuna), Weston Shapiro (Scotia-Glenville), Keith Herrington (Scotia-Glenville), Mike Gwiazdowski (Duanesburg), Joan Kanarkiewicz (Duanesburg), Rachel Gurney (Duanesburg) and Vicky Lau (Schenectady). Shapiro won first in Medical Math; Lohre took second in Medical Spelling; Lau scored second in Extemporaneous Medical Poster; and bringing home third place in the HOSA Bowl, after going into quadruple overtime, were Lohre, Gwiazdowski, Shapiro and Herrington.

The winning New Visions students were awarded medals and all of the students received much-deserved recognition from the judges, teachers and their peers at the competition. According to Paravella, "The students prepared for the HOSA competition by studying on their own and by utilizing their knowledge from class. They learned more about their subject, of course, and about the organization and competitive pressure." Paravella added that the national HOSA competition is in Dallas, Texas, though his class is not planning to go at this time.

[4/08]