CARROLLTON, GA — When Carrollton High School students recently visited the Hughston Orthopedic Hospital for a day of hands-on learning, their teacher, Shannon Bright, revisited a pivotal point in her own educational journey. Supported by the Carrollton City Schools Education Foundation, the field trip marked a meaningful full-circle moment for Bright, who was inspired by a similar field trip at the same facility decades ago, and now champions the power of experiential learning for her own students.

As a teenager, exposure to the teaching hospital environment at the Hughston Clinic broadened Bright’s view of the healthcare world and its possibilities. She remembers touring the facilities and their tour guide, Courtney Boswell, welcoming questions — the more she learned about the Hughston Clinic, the more she saw herself there in the future. The guide encouraged Bright to get a degree and reach out in the future, offering her business card as a token of support. 

Little did she know, this trip inspired Bright to do just that: gain experience in the field, earn a degree, and pursue job opportunities — all while holding onto that business card. 

Years later, after completing her Athletic Training degree, Bright began interviewing for jobs and was approached to interview for a fellowship position at the Hughston Orthopedic Hospital. Encouraged, she took this opportunity to return to the place that once inspired her path. 

During that interview, Bright had a lightbulb moment — a memory from her youth that brought her back to this very campus. The woman whose business card she held onto for all these years was sitting across from her. In this full-circle moment, Bright completed the interview, reached into her wallet, pulled out the business card, and handed it to Mrs. Courtney Boswell McQuaker, the tour guide who inspired her to pursue her goals and eventually led her back to the Hughston Clinic. 

This moment of encouragement, intertwined with insight into a field of study, inspired a young woman to step forth into a career, and now, she is creating these unique experiences for her own healthcare students at Carrollton High School. 

Bright’s own story illustrates the need for students to immerse themselves in real-life working environments and learn from industry professionals to make connections between what they have learned and how it is applied. Students being able to visualize themselves in the roles they see and ask valuable questions to further their understanding helps them grasp career expectations and inspires them to work towards their goals. 

"I want to use real-life scenarios, real patients, and authentic hands-on learning to not just introduce the skills but to present the material in a memorable and meaningful way,” said Bright. “Field trips and clinical experiences bring this to the next level because they have an opportunity to hear from other professionals and see things that simply cannot be reflected in a textbook.” 

Carrollton City Schools Education Foundation champions experiential learning for students through funding field trips. While seeing inside a medical laboratory for the first time may excite students, actually getting to do simulations, learn from current resident students at Hughston, and practice applying their knowledge deepens learning beyond what is possible within the typical classroom. 

With her connections at the Hughston Foundation, Bright coordinated the experience, which provided hands-on learning in various medical lab sessions. Students explored casting, concussion management, suturing on pigs’ feet, practicing IV placement, drawing a full skeleton with a medical illustrator, and studying anatomy through a cadaver joint dissection and surgery simulation.

CHS senior Carter Cates is a third-year healthcare student who is interested in a career in the medical field. He said the trip to the Hughston Foundation amplified his understanding of healthcare concepts through interactive activities in a hands-on setting. 

"I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in undergraduate- and graduate-level dissections, observations, and simulations that not a lot of high school students get to experience,” said Carter. “With the arthroscopy simulator, I was able to practice the motor skills required to complete a surgery as well as put myself in the shoes of a surgeon, which opens up a new window of interest in possibly being a surgeon when I grow up.”

CCS Education Foundation Executive Director Brooke Mobley shared that the foundation board is focused on continually finding ways to support teachers and students going on field trips as enrichment experiences to strengthen their academic understanding through hands-on learning. 

“We view every field trip as an investment in a child’s future. These experiences open doors that simply can’t be replicated in a classroom,” said Mobley. “This trip, in particular, provided students with hands-on, real-world connections to what they were learning and meaningful exposure to potential career paths. Mrs. Bright’s experience is an excellent example of how powerful these moments can be.”

To learn more or to support enrichment experiences for students at Carrollton City Schools, visit www.carrolltoncityschools.net/community/foundation.

Supported by an enrichment experience grant, CHS Healthcare Pathway students visited the Hughston Foundation for an immersive field trip designed for students interested in healthcare careers. CHS healthcare student Carter Cates uses a surgical simulator to perform a mock procedure while Hughston Foundation staff member Belinda Klein provides instruction.

Carrollton High School Healthcare teacher Shannon Bright teaches about muscle groups using clay modeling for an interactive lesson. Pictured from left are Journey Gray, Lauren Rooks, Shannon Bright, and Tamara Quintero-Martinez.