Hispanic Students' Dental Association at Columbia University Medical Center

The Hispanic Students' Dental Association from Columbia University Medical Center made a visit to CHAH's 6th graders on Tuesday, March 10th.

Our students learned about dental hygiene, how to brush and floss correctly, and how often to visit your dentist. Students received goodie bags and healthy snacks, but that’s nothing compared to the pearly smiles they’ll have for the rest of their lives!

Then, on Wednesday, April 1 the students visited the dentists-to-be at their school at the College of Dental Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.

The Hispanic Students' Dental Association invited the students to tour the dental school and share in a lunch.

The highlight of the trip was seeing the pre-clinic labs, where dental students practice their dental procedures with real tools on dummies with fake teeth.  Maybe someday one of our students will be cleaning your teeth in their own dental office!

Dissecting Fetal Pigs

The fetal pigs smell funny, feel slimy, and look disgusting, but the 9th graders in Ms. Clark’s biology class can’t get enough!

“I was scared to touch it the first day, but the second day I did, and it really wasn’t that bad,” Shalem said.

“I feel like a doctor!” Elian added. 

One of the main goals of any biology class is to understand how animal’s bodies function.  Having a clear picture of the interconnectedness of internal organs, the layers of flesh, and the vital, life-giving flow of blood can be helpful.  But being able to see the real thing really puts it all in the proper perspective.

According to Ms. Clark, “We do dissections to learn about living things, but also to appreciate life. I can show my students pictures and videos- but nothing beats seeing, touching and learning from the real thing. Also, dissecting the pigs teaches students about their own bodies, because our organ systems are very similar”

When asked if there were any students who were afraid to participate, or got queasy during the experiment, she added, “If a student is nervous, I instructed them to sit back and observe the first day. By the second day of dissections usually the nervousness wears off and curiosity sets it. After that, it just feels like another lab - really cool lab!”