FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 29, 2018 • KIDS & EDUCATION • THE QUEENS COURIER 33
kids & education
St. Francis Prep partners with local hospital on ed. experience
BY EMMA MILLER
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh
Meadows has partnered with NewYork-
Presbyterian Queens hospital in Flushing
to create a program for students interested
in studying healthcare in college.
Th rough the Healthcare Discovery
Program, high school students will
receive mentorship and learn about leadership,
fi nance, operations and patient
experience in the hospital.
Students will volunteer for two to three
hours once a week for four weeks in one
of four areas: physician assistant, nursing,
radiology services or physical and
occupational therapy. Participants are
able to select the area they begin in; students
who enjoy the program can then
start another rotation in a diff erent area
for another four weeks.
“We have 30 select students to pioneer
the program, and we hope to expand
for next school year,” said Science
Department Chairperson Kimberly
Istrico.
Currently these students are all seniors,
but Istrico said they plan to include 10th
and 11th graders in the future. Th ese fi rst
students will offi cially begin the program
at the beginning of January.
“Th ey’ve started the initial paperwork
that has to be processed by the hospital,”
said Patrick McLaughlin, St. Francis
Prep’s principal.
Istrico said that the program includes
“as much hands-on work as they can do”
due to age and safety concerns.
Th e program was created aft er Bob
Blenderman, St. Francis alum and COO
of the hospital, and Nancy Demers,
another alum and a NY Presbyterian
nurse, had a meeting with McLaughlin
at the beginning of the school year. Two
science classes traveled to the hospital on
Nov. 13 with their teachers and principal
to offi cially begin the partnership.
St. Francis Prep is a private Catholic
college preparatory school in Fresh
Meadows, Queens. It is the largest private
Catholic high school in the United
States with about 2,500 students in
grades nine through 12.
NewYork-Presbyterian Queens is
located in Flushing. Th ey are a community
teaching hospital with a 535-bed
Photos courtesy of St. Francis Preparatory School
facility and a verifi ed Level 1 Trauma
Center.
14 Final 2018
Open House average
class size
119-17 UNION TURNPIKE • FOREST HILLS
718.268.4667
WWW.KEWFOREST.ORG
PRESCHOOL – GRADE 12
Wednesday, December 5
20+
interscholastic
athletic teams
60+
nationalities
at 8:15am
RSVP at kewforest.org/OpenHouse represented on campus
link
