Rice ISD is excited to announce the receipt of a Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grant. The $134,671 grant award will directly support the continually growing health science program at Rice High School.
The RHS health science program began in fall of 2020 with 30 students and a part-time
instructor. Today, the program boasts almost 100 students, a full-time teacher, and
additional staff to support the growing classes. Since the spring of 2023, 15 students have
graduated as Certified Medical Assistants. Currently, 11 more students are working toward their
certification, and several Rice ISD graduates are working on post-secondary degrees in nursing.
Health science instructor, Stacy Lane, has seen the dramatic growth of the program from the
ground up. She states, "As a teacher who helped develop this program, I am incredibly proud of
how far we've come. Providing students with the opportunity to obtain a medical assistant
certification while in high school allows them to enter the workforce upon graduation. It also
gives them a competitive edge when applying to nursing school or other post-secondary health
science programs. The growth and success of my students is a reminder of the power of
education and the legacy we’re building together."
A primary goal of our health science program is to provide real world training experiences that
prepare students for a career in nursing. Over the years, we have worked to build a health
science lab that provides students with hands-on training opportunities. This JET grant award
will allow us to add several top-of-the-line pieces of equipment to our simulated healthcare
environment, helping to prepare our students for the demands of the medical field.
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