Paige Hert

Holding sanitizing wipes, the HOSA MRC team prepares to clean Mrs. Hert’s classroom. Dedicated to educating the community about various public health issues, this student led group spreads awareness by cleaning desks and doorknobs of classrooms to encourage cleanliness and prevent germs and the spread of the flu. “Spreading information to our community will make them better prepared in emergencies,” senior Emlee Yonga said. “It’s important to me that the student body is knowledgeable of how to stay healthy to keep themselves and others safe. Healthy lifestyles are overall very beneficial as they can lead to a better quality of life and improve mental health.”

Keeping students healthy is about more than just preventing sickness, it’s about enabling them to reach their full potential in their academics and social lives. The Cedar Park Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) team consists of a group of students dedicated to educating the community about various public health issues and emergency preparedness.

MRC Partnership is a competitive event HOSA students can participate in to gain experience and learn the skills needed to form and maintain a partnership with the local or state MRC units. The mission of MRC Partnership is to better inform the public about general health concerns and emergency response. Partnered with the Williamson County MRC team, this student-led team spreads awareness by cleaning desks and doorknobs of classrooms to encourage cleanliness and prevent germs and the spread of the flu.

“Spreading information to our community will make them better prepared in [health and environmental] emergencies,” senior Emlee Yonga said. “It’s important to me that the student body is knowledgeable of how to stay healthy to keep themselves and others safe. Healthy lifestyles are overall very beneficial as they can lead to a better quality of life and improve mental health.”

Teachers interested in the sanitation service were able to fill out a form to let the MRC members know they wanted their classrooms sanitized. In total, 74 teachers signed up for the service.

“We chose to sanitize classrooms because we want to make an impact on those around us and the school,” freshman Aubry Riordan said. “We’re here for the public, that’s what MRC is. So we wanted to do something little for the teachers.”

The MRC Competition consists of a pre-judged section and then the round one competition. The pre-judged section consists of a portfolio detailing the team’s MRC activities and the impact they had on the community. The round one competition is an in-person presentation to judges at the Spring Leadership Conference. Portfolio submissions were due Jan. 20, and the round one competition will take place Feb. 7-8 at Steele High School in San Antonio.

“Our portfolio is a collection of everything we’ve done so far,” Riordan said. “[One of the activities] we did was a seminar where we taught the elementary students how to wash their hands and let them create little cards for first responders, [which] we handed out to the firefighters and police. I think that taught the [elementary students] how to keep everybody else safe and how to keep themselves safe.”

The HOSA MRC team did a Hand Washing Seminar at both Reed Elementary School and Giddens Elementary School to teach the kids how to properly wash their hands and prevent the spread of the flu. HOSA sponsor Amy Buffington said that the students have done a great job so far.

“I think the HOSA MRC team will benefit from this competition,” Buffington said. “Because they have had to develop leadership skills, services skills, time management, develop community partnerships, and problem-solving by finding engaging ways to educate the community on current public health issues and emergency preparedness strategies.”

To further promote better health and knowledge among students, HOSA has made health trivia at Meet the T-Wolves and health activities during club meetings. In the future, HOSA will continue to promote through Skills Dens, Clinical Dens and activities in future meetings.

“Encouraging cleanliness at school enforces clean habits in students that will help them even outside of school,” Yonga said. “When students are actively encouraged to clean, it can foster a sense of community and collaborativeness within the school. A clean learning environment improves the learning atmosphere, reduces sick days among students and staff, and encourages respect and responsibility over school property.”