Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School, commonly known as HeLa (alternatively spelled He-La), is a high school located in

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

. It is the most recent high school built in the

Evergreen Public Schools Evergreen School District No. 114 is a public school district in Clark County, Washington, and serves the city of Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the ...

, and one of six high schools in the district. The school's colors are light blue, dark blue, and grey. The school's mascot is the

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

. The school's principal is Amy Haynes. The school has 35 staff members.

History

Opening in 2013, HeLa was the sixth high school built in the Evergreen School District. Construction began in 2011. Major funding for the construction of the school came from PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center as well as numerous other hospitals, clinics, and research facilities in Vancouver, Washington and

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. The school was named after

Henrietta Lacks Henrietta Lacks (born Loretta Pleasant; August 1, 1920 – October 4, 1951) Note: Some sources report her birthday as August 2, 1920, vs. August 1, 1920. was an African-American woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line ...

, an African-American woman who was the unwitting donor of medical research cells (derived from a cancerous tumor) which were cultured to create the first known human immortal cell line.

Academic programs

HeLa High offers students a full high school curriculum with a focus on medical careers. Students choose from five program areas, and can participate in job shadows and internships during their junior and senior year. The five programs of study are: *Nursing and Patient Services *Biomedical Engineering *Pharmacology *Biotechnology *Public health The curriculum includes all of the basic core classes, math, science, English, and history, as well as their specific science electives. HeLa also offers electives including music, digital arts, world languages, and leadership. HeLa High students are supported by an advocacy program called Helix, The Helix program focuses on student achievement, college, and career goals and advisory capstone research projects.

Sense of Community

Students at Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School come from all over the Evergreen School District. They are given a choice to apply to HeLa, or remain enrolled at their "home" high school (a term used by HeLa students and staff to specify which High School the student is within boundaries for.) Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School is also much smaller than most of the High schools within their district, with an average of 800 students per school year. This allows students to build strong connections with one another.

References

{{authority control Vancouver, Washington High schools in Washington (state) High schools in Clark County, Washington High schools in Vancouver, Washington

History

Academic programs

Sense of Community

See also

References