Walnut High adds ROP medical pathology class to

By Richard Irwin, Staff Writer

Maybe a student from Walnut High will find a cure for the Ebola or West Nile virus some day. It could happen thanks to the new pathology class at the Walnut Valley campus.

Pathology is the branch of medicine that deals with the nature of disease. The new health class may be the link that drives a promising young student to go into medical research.

The class is one of several courses being offered by the high school through the East San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupational Program. ROP instructors now teach more than 300 Walnut students, according to ROP Coordinator Candice Marsano.

“The medical classes have become very popular at Walnut High,” said Marsano. “That’s why we continue to add new classes and sections.”

Principal Jeff Jordan has seen the ROP program grow from one instructor with 60 students to several teachers with hundreds of students over the past six years.

“Now, we have kids who graduate and go on to study medical careers at Cal State Fullerton, Mt. SAC and Azusa Pacific University,” Jordan reported. “They come back and thank us for giving them a head start in their medical careers.”

Marsano said two of the ROP courses, Intro to Sports Medicine and General Medical Pathologies, have been approved by the University of California.

“If our students pass the UC test, they can earn college credits here at Walnut High,” Marsano explained.

Read more in Rich Irwin’s story HEALTH