Anatomy class uses cats to learn about the body

by Justin Fish

With the bronze medal award given to Pittsford by the U.S. News and World Report magazine, we became the only school in all of Hillsdale, Lenawee, Monroe, Jackson or Branch counties to be given that award. That means teachers here have to do something extra special to entice these kids to learn. The anatomy class is doing just that by dissecting cats.

Almost every year, students in the anatomy class will dissect a preserved cat. The reason they are dissecting a cat and not another animal is because of the similarities. “The anatomy of a cat is close to that of a human, and also they are easy to obtain, unlike any other animal,” said anatomy teacher Mrs. Clement.

Dissection started October 28, with the students starting to identify the muscles of the cat. In almost every class there are some kids that are squeamish and some that aren’t, and some actually like dissecting the cat. “I think this dissection is very useful, and it helps explain anatomy a lot better,” said senior Ben Farley. “I also get insight to the exciting world of anatomy, and some kitty brains,” snickered Ben.

The class will focus on certain things during the dissection. “We will be identifying mostly muscles, but we will do some other stuff too,” said Mrs. Clement. The class will also dissect only twice every week to keep up on book work. “The actual dissecting will end at the end of the third marking period (March 20),” replied Mrs. Clement. Later on in the dissection the class will be identifying internal organs.

Other people at school can walk through a much more pleasant-smelling hallway when the dissections are occurring, as the aroma seems less bad than last year. “The smell of this year’s cats isn’t too bad compared to last years; they stunk really bad,” commented Mrs. Clement When the cats are preserved, they have a preservative in them that keeps them moist and somewhat to their original state. Overall the learning experience is going to be a good one because of the concrete style of teaching here at Pittsford. But, just in case, keep your noses plugged when you walk by the anatomy classroom, as you might just get a whiff of that nasty smelling preservative!