Seven students in Kinston High School’s health science program have qualified for state competition after a stellar showing on tests organized as part of the recent Southeastern Regional Leadership Conference of North Carolina HOSA.

Representing the school’s chapter of HOSA, an international student organization that promotes career opportunities in the health care industry, the students scored at or near the top in each of the events they entered. 

“Now that they’re considered the champions for their district, they can actually compete for their district against others at state in March. In order for students to keep the same event (at state) they had to be in the top 10; we had all of ours in the top 10,” Crystal Payton-Demry, chapter advisor and health science teacher said.

About a thousand students in the 13-county region participated in the online testing administered by North Carolina HOSA in January, according to Payton-Demry. Each test required competitors to answer 100 questions in 45 minutes. Results were announced at a virtual awards ceremony earlier this month.

Five of the Kinston students finished in the medals category in three events: Malaysia Washington, second in Human Growth & Development; Zahara Jackson, second in Behavioral Health; and a one-two-three sweep in Medical Terminology by Andrea Williams (first), Jasmine Taylor (second) and Nya Peoples (third.)

Also qualifying for state competition were Ericka Fields and Jaleah Taylor, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the regional Medical Terminology event.

Kinston’s showing in that event was special, Payton-Demry said. “That was really something that most people don’t do that well in. Obviously, some of the techniques that I gave them worked. They just took it and used those techniques and did very well.”

Kinston High principal Kellan Bryant offered her congratulations. “Our students did very well and we are so proud of them,” she said. “We’ll be cheering for them as they move on to state competition.”

Subject-based testing for the state contest will be done online as it was for the regional event, but the format of testing in skills areas like CPR will depend on public health guidelines related to the coronavirus pandemic, Payton-Demry said. Regardless, going head-to-head with your peers is good career development, she said.

“The purpose of HOSA is to further students’ interest in the health sciences and get them ready to enter that competitive field of health care,” she said.

Health science programs are offered at LCPS high schools as one of more than a dozen career pathways provided through the district’s Career and Technical Education curriculum.