Students from the Wright City HOSA (Future Health Professionals) chapter attended and competed in the state conference at Rolla High School from March 24-26.

Whitney Schuenemeyer, the HOSA advisor, led the students to the state conference, accompanied by Amanda Bair, a business teacher and FBLA adviser. The conference hosted middle school, high school, and collegiate-level HOSA members, with 20 students from Wright City in attendance.

Students competed in various events, such as health education, medical spelling, pharmacology, and organic chemistry. Breakout sessions were held between competitive events, providing engaging and educational activities like anatomy trivia. 

Colleges and other representatives from around Missouri attended the conference to raise awareness about their admission offers and create networking opportunities.

Eight of the Wright City HOSA chapter students placed in the top ten of their competition. Andrea Lopez-Luna placed ninth in Human Growth & Development, Dakota Dalton and Nicole Nunez-Cruz placed ninth in Health Education, Lucas Derby placed eighth in Medical Reading, Karsten Uhl placed 10th in Pharmacology, Callee Reimers placed ninth in ATC-Microbiology, Jahniya Palmer placed fifth in ATC-Organic Chemistry, and Grace Weber placed fifth in ATC-AAFP Family Medicine Career Center.

Seven students were recognized for completing The Barbara James Service Award, each completing at least 100 health-based community service hours within one year. The recipients include Emma Staats, Grace Weber, Morgan Nute, Giavannah Nesler, Aubrey Lorraine, Maximus Mcintosh, and Matthew Johnston.

In October, a junior student and HOSA member, Paige Kirn, organized a HOSA Service Project titled Be the Match. She planned and played in a PowderPuff Football game that raised funds for Be the Match, a non-profit organization that helps with bone marrow donation. Kirn received state recognition for her community service project.

Wright City HOSA also organizes American Red Cross Blood drives at Wright City High School. They were the only school in the state to receive the American Red Cross Blood Drive award, and Emma Staats, a blood drive volunteer, received American Red Cross Volunteer recognition.

Barbara James Award recipients have the potential to attend the International HOSA conference in Houston, TX, from June 26 to 29 this year, pending the required funds being raised. Congratulations to the successful Wright City HOSA Chapter.