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San Gabriel, CA Spring 2017
"The most interesting part of class was feeling the pulse and listening to the heart."
-- JMS student
"Vegan food actually tastes good!"
-- JMS student
"The only thing different would be more time in the afternoon."
-- JMS student
Jefferson Middle School
In the Spring of 2017, nearly 20 students in eastern Los Angeles County from the ages of 11 to 14 spent Tuesday afternoons learning about how the heart works, as well as what happens when the heart doesn't work. They discussed ways to keep the heart working and spent some time in the kitchen cooking vegan food. The intention was to educate, inspire, and empower this group of middle school students to create a future less devastated by heart disease.
This group of students was especially brilliant. They came to class early, did homework, and asked great questions. And they were so skillful with their stethoscopes! These students will take such great care of their communities!
During the 10-week program, they spent a few weeks learning about the structure of the heart and how it works. They then moved on to testing the heart, with some guest lecturing from the San Gabriel Fire Department. Next, conversations about how the heart gets diseased flowed into exploring various treatments and preventions for heart disease.
And then, they took to the school's teaching kitchen! Near the end of the course, 16 middle school students prepared (and tasted) 3 vegan recipes. They prepared healthier, plant-based variations on some classics: pizza, nachos, and cookies. The comments heard whispered around the room were mostly, "Wow, this is actually really good." Check out these Future Doctor of America approved recipes from that week: Temptingly Delicious Cauliflower-Crust Pizza, The Best Vegan Nachos, and The Most Delicious, Chewy Brownies.
The program concluded on June 10th at SEF's Youth Fitness Expo. This group of brilliant Future Doctors of America shared their knowledge and inspiration from the previous nine weeks of the program with their local community. Already, they are creating a world less devastated by heart disease!
Future Doctors of America at Jefferson Middle School in the Spring of 2017 was made possible thru the support and funding from the Institute for Natural Medicine. The San Gabriel Educational Foundation provided additional support in working with school leaders and identifying this great group of students. Both organizations do so much good for their communities!
This initial pilot program would not have been possible specifically without the support of a few fantastic women: Dr. Michelle Simon, ND; Katherine Kleine; Adela Angiuli; Dr. Chasity Nunez, MD; and Heather Carrie. Thank you, ladies, for supporting Future Doctors of America to create a future less devastated by heart disease.
Some of the picture highlights from Jefferson Middle School are below....
JMS, Spring 2017 made possible thru funding provided by:
With additional support from:
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