HOSA

HOSA- SPARTANS STRIVE FOR LEADERSHIP 
By 

Gaayathri Nadarajah

HOSA is a global student-led organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services and several federal and state agencies. HOSA’s mission is to empower HOSA-Future Health Professionals to become leaders in the global health community, through education, collaboration, and experience. HOSA actively promotes career opportunities in the health industry and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people. HOSA’s goal is to encourage all health science instructors and students to affiliate and be actively involved in the HSE-HOSA Partnership (Hosa)

2024 is off to a great start for Sparta High’s newest club! Advised by Mrs. Pisano and Mr. Scognamiglio, and presided by an executive council of officers: Kyleigh Mongon, President; Anna Yerofeyev, Vice President; Katie Sutton, Secretary; Uma Kowalski, Treasurer; and Gaayathri Nadarajah, Reporter, HOSA meets multiple times during the month to plan and prepare for competitions. Throughout the year, members attend competitions and host different events like fundraisers or even socials. On January 20th, 33 HOSA students competed at regionals at Passaic County Technical Institute. 

In their rookie year, Sparta High School’s HOSA Club had 7 students recognized for being in the top eight of their respective division. The 6 students in the top five of their respective division will be moving on to the state competition in March. 

In no particular order:

• Tyler Harms, 11th, placed 6th in Medical Math

• Adrian Appelbaum, 10th, placed 4th in Dental Science

• Alyssa Wainwright, 10th, placed 5th in Sports Medicine

• Sayler Salvigsen, 11th, placed 3rd in Nursing Assistant

• Haley Erikson, 11th, and Chris Munoz, 12th, placed 4th in CPR/First Aid

• Gaayathri Nadarajah, 12th, placed 1st in Extemporaneous Writing

Be sure to show your support by congratulating those who received recognition. SHS’s HOSA Club still has much to do throughout the rest of the school year so be sure to stay updated by following HOSA’s instagram “@spartahshosa”!

SHS Workout Facility Upgrade: A Great Opportunity

 SHS Workout Facility Upgrade: A Great Opportunity

January 2 2024

By: Julia Miller 

Sparta High School is planning to upgrade its current workout facility. It is a great opportunity for numerous students to have space to exercise in their school. The upgrade will include the weight room and the cardio room. The Sparta Education Foundation has already provided the cost for the weight room refurbishment. However, the cardio room expansion will cost between $80 and $90 thousand.
The district is hoping to be able to raise the money through donations.
Of the total cost for the cardio room, $30 thousand will be to layout a turf runner with the balance to be used for purchasing stair mills, elliptical trainers, treadmills and other equipment.

Athletic Director Steve Stoner said the turf section of flooring is to facilitate sleds so they do not ruin the floor as they are dragged or pushed.

There was previously going to be a donor for workout equipment for the gym, but Sparta Schools’ Superintendent Matthew Beck, said, "The donor actually pulled out,” when it was discussed at the December board of education meeting.

Kenneth Scognamiglio, an exercise physiology and human body systems teacher at Sparta High School, has played a vital role in developing the gym expansion. Scognamiglio puts strong emphasis on how significant this gym expansion is because of how beneficial it will be for the students.

He said, "The most important thing is that it will benefit every single student that is in our schools, whether you are athlete, non-athlete, exercise all the time, or are just beginning to learn how to exercise, every single student that comes to this high school will spend time in one of those two rooms." 

A population that will be highlighted through this expansion is female athletes. 

 "We are going to have a number of freeway stations with barbells that allow for traditional lifting, but we also have cable machines that allow for adjustability and movement for all different types of students," Scognamiglio said.  

Stoner said he expects the project to begin in the spring.