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M State, Sanford win award for high school EMR course partnership

Students in the Health 2213 emergency responder course practice their blood pressure-checking skills during a mid-November, 2024 class at the Moorhead High School Career Academy.
Hope Bloom, right, checks Tori Schmitz’s blood pressure during a Health 2213 class at the Moorhead High School Career Academy in mid-November, 2024. The business partnership that makes this class possible was recently recognized with a state award.

 

A collaboration enabling Moorhead High School students to become certified emergency responders has been recognized by the Minnesota Association for Career and Technical Education (MnACTE).

M State and Sanford Ambulance, collaborators since the beginning of the academic year on an elective college-level emergency responder course at the Moorhead High School Career Academy, have been honored with MnACTE's 2025 Business and Industry Partnership Award. The award recognizes partnerships between businesses and educational institutions that significantly impact student achievement and benefit the local community and economy.

An M State-approved instructor and Sanford employee teach the semester-long course, Health 2213, on-site at the career academy, an essential third partner in the collaboration. The dual-credit course informs and engages students with hands-on, lifelike practice scenarios, influencing their career plans and inspiring some to become registered emergency medical responders, which allows them to apply for state licensure in most states. 

Career academy staff and leadership nominated M State and Sanford Ambulance for the award. 

Winners were announced at the MnACTE annual conference in St. Cloud in February and are now eligible to represent Minnesota at the ACTE Region III Conference in Illinois this June. The ACTE is a national professional organization that empowers educators to deliver high-quality career and technical programming to position all students for career success.