09/19/2026
🚨 LONG POST WARNING: Proud teacher here, and my kids gave me A LOT to brag about today. So grab a snack, settle in, and buckle up, partner...because I'm fixing to tell you ALL about it. 😂
🩸❤️ HOSA BLOOD DRIVE #1 — FINALLY! ❤️🩸
After our original September 3 blood drive was canceled due to Tropical Storm Eduardo, our HOSA students FINALLY got to kick off their first blood drive of the year today!
And they showed up ready to WORK. 💪❤️
This wasn't just a day for our students to “help” with a blood drive. I wanted them to have defined responsibilities and opportunities to practice real-world professional and healthcare skills, so our HOSA students operated three working stations throughout the day.
📞 SCREENING: Students managed calling participants down for their appointments while practicing professional telephone communication, phone etiquette, organization, and interpersonal skills.
And one of my **brand-new HOSA members—a junior working her very first blood drive—**apparently decided that simply learning her assigned job wasn't enough. 😂
She created a standardized set of questions for the Screening station to use before participants moved to Check-In, essentially developing and implementing an initial screening process within our workflow.
Then she created a separate Blood Drive Documentation spreadsheet to track participation and HOSA member involvement for our records.
None of this was assigned to her.
She recognized what information her station needed, identified a need, created a solution, implemented it, documented it, and shared both files with me for future blood drives.
She specifically told me she created them so we could continue using them—including when she returns as a senior next year.
THAT is student leadership. ❤️
She also informed me that I absolutely cannot retire before she earns her certification, so apparently my retirement timeline has now been established. 😂❤️
📋 CHECK-IN: Students greeted participants, managed documentation and our Back-to-Class passes, and practiced professional communication, organization, and attention to detail before sending participants on to LifeShare.
❤️ LIFESAVER LOUNGE — RECOVERY & ASSESSMENT: Following donation, participants remained in our recovery area for a minimum of 10 minutes while our HOSA students talked with them, monitored how they were feeling, documented recovery times and observations, and reported concerns to LifeShare staff and the nurse.
Today gave our students a very real understanding of why that observation period matters.
Our standard response when someone questioned why they needed to remain in recovery became very simple:
“It's for your safety.” ❤️
And that's exactly what it is.
We also learned from today's experience and have already changed our procedure for our next drive. Rather than waiting for participants to make their way into the recovery area independently, our HOSA students will take a more active role in the transition into the Lifesaver Lounge—helping participants get settled, bringing snacks and drinks to them, remaining with them during the observation period, completing their assessment questions, documenting observations, and notifying me or LifeShare whenever additional attention is needed.
Experience → reflection → improvement.
That's healthcare education happening in real time. ❤️
I was especially proud of how our students worked together today.
Three of today's workers were brand-new HOSA members who stepped in for members with previously scheduled obligations. I paired each new member with an experienced blood-drive worker so our veteran students could lead and mentor while our newest members learned their responsibilities alongside someone who had done the job before.
They did AMAZING.
And guess what?
All three rookies have already been informed that they're coming back for our December blood drive. 😂❤️
That's the goal. Each time we do this, I want to give the students a little more ownership. Ultimately, I want to watch them confidently run their stations, communicate with one another, manage the normal workflow, and recognize when something needs to be escalated to me or LifeShare.
I also have to give a shout-out to our campus administration and staff for continuing to support our HOSA and Health Science students. Our principal stopped by during the drive to check on us, and after I gave her the rundown on everything the students were doing, she said, “Well, your kids always do great work!” ❤️
Yep. They sure do. 🥹❤️
Having a campus that supports opportunities for our students to learn beyond the classroom, take on real responsibilities, and serve their school community makes experiences like this possible—and I am incredibly grateful for that support.
Our campus nurse and I make a pretty good team, too. She helps keep the logistics moving while continuing to handle the everyday health needs of our campus...
…and apparently I supply the HOSA POWER. 😂💪🩸
They even handed me the Nurse walkie-talkie for the day, so I suppose that made it official. 😂📻🩺
And then came our final number...
🩸 37 UNITS OF BLOOD DONATED! 🩸
Despite having our original drive canceled because of the tropical storm, having to reschedule, AND holding our makeup drive on a busy football Friday, Tiger Nation showed up.
Our campus nurse sent out the final count this afternoon:
37 UNITS! ❤️
And summed it up perfectly:
“This is so amazing with the obstacles we had to face!”
It really is.
Today my students practiced communication, organization, documentation, observation, teamwork, problem-solving, mentoring, leadership, professionalism, service—and knowing when to ask for help.
Those aren't just HOSA skills.
Those are healthcare skills. ❤️
Thank you to every student, staff member, and community member who donated; to LifeShare for continuing to partner with us; to our campus nurse for helping keep everything running; and to my HOSA students for taking ownership of their responsibilities from beginning to end.
37 units. Three stations. New members learning from veterans. Students creating solutions. A better system already planned for next time.
And some of those 37 donations came with a little extra effort. ❤️ One of my PCT/HOSA seniors had been off campus on a field trip earlier in the day, but made sure he came by to donate when he returned. 🩸
That's the kind of heart these kids brought with them today.
And yes...
🩸 WE'RE ALREADY ON THE CALENDAR FOR DECEMBER! 🩸
First blood drive of the year:
DONE! ❤️🩸
Silsbee ISD Silsbee High School
