Students explore medical sciences careers at McKinley STEAM Academy in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — In the medical sciences exploratory pathway at McKinley STEAM Academy, middle school students are learning about health and wellness and the musculoskeletal system through hands-on experiences.

At McKinley, students could leave with a certification in CPR — an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating — and tangible experiences in health care. The school’s location downtown — across the street from Mercy Medical Center and near UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's Hospital — makes it a perfect fit for the health sciences exploratory pathway, said Ted Olander, magnet coordinator at McKinley.

“We wanted to offer kids a different experience than they can get anywhere else,” Olander said. “It’s our responsibility to give kids as many opportunities to explore career options as possible, so when they get to high school and beyond, they can find a fit for themselves.”

To support the programming — which began in 2019 — the school is adding a new health sciences space where former administrative offices used to be. The Cedar Rapids school board in October approved an agreement with Invision Architecture to renovate about 2,800 square feet of the building.

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The estimated total cost of the project is about $850,000, funded by the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, a capital projects fund that can be used for the construction and remodeling of buildings, funded by property taxes levied and collected by the school district. Construction will be completed in August.

This space will go beyond a traditional classroom with desks and eventually will be outfitted with hospital beds and manikins for students to practice basic care needs. There will be a lecture space and lab and collaborative spaces where students can learn.

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A longer term goal of school officials is to get some of the former office spaces transformed into exam rooms, where eventually local physicians could offer sports physicals or vaccinations to students and community members.

In classes taught by McKinley health and medical science teacher Brian White, students learn how to administer a concussion test by examining each other for balance, coordination and eye movement.

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Student in White’s class get to practice physical therapy exercises that teach them what movements strengthen each part of the body and protect or help it recover from injury. They practice taping each other’s wrists and ankles as an athletic trainer might to reduce swelling and pain from an injury.

“It’s high-level stuff I don’t think is happening in other schools,” White said. “It’s fun to watch them putting in effort. The cool part is seeing kids that would never have thought they have an interest in sports or athletic training love taping wrists and ankles.

“They’re learning about a lot of different career opportunities, and they might not be interested in any of them. But they might find something that clicks,” White said.

McKinley students have four core classes they have to take each semester, which leaves three open class periods for them to choose a class more aligned with their interests, Olander said.

Students have the option of enrolling in several semester-long classes with an emphasis in medical sciences during their time at McKinley. In addition to the medical sciences pathway, McKinley also offers career exploration in engineering tech, computer science, performing arts and visual arts.

Within the medical science pathway are classes in cardio, weight training, human body systems and sports medicine. Cardio and weight training also count toward a student’s physical education credits.

Already, there is a classroom that is a weight training center with free weights and a cardio room with 18 pieces of equipment, including treadmills, stationary bikes and elliptical machines.

A portion of the programming at McKinley has been funded through a federal magnet schools grant awarded to the Cedar Rapids Community School District in 2022. The district received $14.8 million to be distributed over five years.

Jillian Schulte, director of magnet programming for Cedar Rapids schools, said McKinley so far has been awarded $1.9 million from the grant for medical sciences and its arts exploratory pathway. The grant has funded much of the equipment purchases and curricular resources for the medical science courses and a full-time teaching position.

The grant also is supporting enhancements at four other district magnet schools — Johnson STEAM Academy, Cedar River Academy, Roosevelt and City View Community High School. The grant is from the U.S. Department of Education’s Magnet Schools Assistance Program.

A second nearly $15 million Magnet Schools Assistance Program grant was awarded to the district in October to support its high school College & Career Pathways, which are launching fall 2025.

A magnet school is a program that creates a special area of study in a public school that can attract students from outside its attendance boundary. The Cedar Rapids district has six magnet schools with themes that include sustainability, science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) and leadership. Magnets also help desegregate schools and improve learning outcomes through theme-based experiences, educators say.

Grayson Gurwell, 13, an eighth-grader at McKinley taking classes in the medical sciences exploratory pathway, said he feels “engaged” in class. Grayson is interested in learning more about sports medicine as a possible career choice, he said.

Raven Nord, 14, also an eighth-grader at McKinley, is enrolled in Weight Training 2 next semester after enjoying learning about the physical and mental health benefits of living a healthy lifestyle in the first class.

In Weight Training 2, she will build off what she learned about proper technique for injury prevention and rehabilitation, and create and execute a personalized weight training plan. At the end of the class, she will be trained in CPR and first aid, with the option of certification in both.

Raven, who wants to be an actor and a model someday, said her career path doesn’t have “anything to do” with medical sciences. “But it’s fun to learn how my body works,” she said.

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