New Human Anatomy and Physiology Course

Every year, Billings Central Catholic High School’s science program continues to evolve, and the new 2022-2023 school year brings no exceptions. The BCCHS science department has undergone several notable changes since last year, including the addition of a new class never before taught at Central. Science teacher Krista Cunningham’s new human anatomy and physiology course gives Central students a chance to explore the structure and functions of the human body, which could be especially helpful to students planning on going into careers in forensic science, healthcare, or similar fields.

The anatomy and physiology class has been a long time in the making. Cunningham first began thinking about running the course around two years ago and has done a significant amount of work to make the class possible. One problem was funding. The Rams Day of Giving in 2021 helped generate money to get the class off the ground, and the most recent annual Mayfair fundraising event focused on Central’s STEM curriculum, bringing in more funding for the A&P class. Cunningham also had to plan the class from the ground up. “I just started following a bunch of different little rabbit trails and seeing how I could bring this course to Central,” she explained. In order to prepare, Cunningham talked to teachers of existing Anatomy and Physiology classes, met with a representative of the Area Health Education Center (AHEC), and joined a national anatomy and physiology Facebook group.

One of the main reasons that Cunningham has been so interested in creating an A&P class for Central is that she feels it’s a more relevant science subject for many students. “We had AP Bio before and I taught that, but I didn’t feel like there was a whole lot of actual, real life application for students,” she said. “This is a course where I can take everything from forensic science to concepts in bio and pull them all together to something that might really direct students in a career path.” To that end, Cunningham has tried to tailor the class to be focused on the eventual long-term goals of her students. She began the year by asking each student about their reasons for taking the class and is now working to tailor the curriculum to the interests of her students. Cunningham also hopes to prepare her students for future college classes. The attrition rate for entry-level healthcare courses is quite high, so Cunningham wants to give her Anatomy and Physiology students the confidence to succeed. “I’m hoping that they can really see that this is something they’re capable of doing… that if there’s a career they want to do that’s in any sort of science, it’s something that is attainable for them,” she explained.