Medical Club wins $1,000 ‘Spark! Challenge’ prize

The William Floyd High School Medical Club, under the guidance of science teacher Terri Randall, recently participated in the Northwell Health “Spark! Challenge: Healthcare Heroes,” a competition of more than 1,500 students from 48 schools across the tri-state area focused on career exploration, complete with a live virtual awards ceremony. William Floyd High School Medical Club members entered a submission into the video category and won third place and a $1,000 prize.

The award-winning submission, “Family Medicine Physicians,” created by students and set to the theme of “Superman,” playfully highlighted many of the things that physicians and other health care workers do that set them apart as heroes.

During this year’s “Spark! Challenge,” students also had the opportunity to participate in engaging, online educational sessions for 20 different health care career fields. One educational session, which profiled a career in family medicine, had students follow along with three case studies, taking patient vitals online and gaining an understanding of what goes into testing for strep and COVID-19. Some departments also showed the proper way to put on and take off personal protective equipment.

During the virtual awards ceremony, students also viewed welcome messages from Northwell’s executive leadership, voted for their peers’ videos and posters, and attended a careers exhibit focusing on areas such as family medicine, the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, surgical careers, the Institute for Nursing, and Northwell’s Center for Learning and Innovation.

Despite it being a different year due to the pandemic, William Floyd High School Medical Club students were able to host a fundraiser for two college scholarships for graduating seniors, raise and donate more than $650 for the Child Life Department at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, interact with virtual guest speakers from Long Island Community Hospital including a respiratory therapist, social worker and nutritionist, and more. The $1,000 “Spark! Challenge” prize will be used for future student scholarships.

“As an allied health care professional and educator, I’m extremely impressed and proud of how everyone was able to pivot and create a successful year together!” said Randall. “Medical Club members have exemplified the dedication, tenacity and drive for excellence that all health care professionals are expected to maintain. Their unwavering enthusiasm inspires me to continue to mentor them and support their journeys.”