Polk County Public Schools
Students from six Polk schools competed and participated in 2010 national and state events of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) organization. HOSA is an organization whose mission is to promote career opportunities in healthcare for students and to enhance healthcare quality.
Both the national and state HOSA events were held in Orlando. The state event was held in the latter part of the 2009-2010 school year the national event was held over the summer.
Bartow International Baccalaureate’s Bianca Mulaney won first place at state and nationals in the biotechnology competition. A team from Winter Haven’s Ridge Career Center won first place at state and nationals in the HOSA quiz bowl competition. Ridge’s team, composed of Rebecca Bagwell, Danielle Harris and Renee Vander Heyden, defeated a college team from the University of Texas at Dallas in the final round of the national event.
The following students all won top ten places at the national event. They are listed according to school with their competition category in parentheses:
Auburndale High: Tyler Ketchum (dental terminology);
Bartow International Baccalaureate: Hiral Jivanji (pharmacology);
George Jenkins High-Lakeland: Ian Ponder (first aid/ rescue breathing);
Ridge Career Center: Renee Rattan (human growth and development knowledge), Nardia Wright (medical spelling).
The following students all won top five places at the state event. They are listed according to school, with their place and competition category in parentheses.
Auburndale High: Alyssa Bingaman (fifth, home health aide), Tyler Ketchum (third, dental terminology);
Bartow International Baccalaureate: Hiral Jivanji (third, pharmacology), Bianca Mulaney (first, biotechnology);
George Jenkins High: Ian Ponder (third, first aid/rescue breathing);
Lake Gibson High-Lakeland: Chelsea Dupree (fifth, veterinary assisting), Melinda Lloyd (fourth, extemporaneous speaking), Thomas Ortiz (fourth, physical therapy assisting);
Ridge Career Center: team of Rebecca Bagwell, Danielle Harris, and Renee Vander Heyden (first, HOSA Bowl), Renee Rattan (second, human development), Nardia Wright (first, medical spelling);
Summerlin Academy-Bartow: Jessica King (fourth, nursing assistant).
