Brent students turn to pigs for heart-healthy education
By LAURA CHILDRESS

Last Thursday fifth-graders at Brent Intermediate learned what healthy hearts really look like, as they participated in the dissection of pig hearts.

The project was a collaboration with the AP Biology department from Little Elm High School, with the high schoolers serving the "chief surgeons" and the fifth-graders aiding in the surgeries.

Brent science teacher Bev Jones-Purvis noted the dissection of pig hearts is the end experiment on a study of good health that the fifth-graders have been focusing on during the final weeks of school.

Jones-Purvis said she and fellow science teacher Pamela Pauley are helping the students think about making healthy lifestyle choices as they head into summer.

So what do pig hearts have to do with this study?  "Pig hearts are very similar to human hearts, so in the dissection of them students will gain a deeper understanding of how their hearts work," Jones-Purvis said. "They'll be looking at arteries and veins, the different chambers and will be able to manipulate the flow of blood through the heart. We'll also be discussing how making healthy choices will strengthen their hearts.

"We are thrilled with the cooperation between our school and the high school," Jones-Purvis added.

"Andy Bradstreet, head of the high school biology department, has been instrumental in putting this experiment together.”

"It's been a lot of fun," Bradstreet said."