18 | THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2026 MONTICELLO TIMES
Health & Wellness
High school plans to offer new sports medicine course
Students will learn injury prevention, evaluation, rehab as part of health care CTE pathway
LAUREN FLAUM Monticello Times
MONTICELLO— Students interested in careers in health care and athletics will soon have a new class option at Monticello High School.
The Monticello School Board this month approved an elective course, Introduction to Sports Medicine, designed to give students hands-on exposure to athletic training and other health-related fields.
Planned as a one-trimester class for juniors and seniors, the course will be part of the district’ s Career and Technical Education( CTE) health care pathway and could enroll up to 30 students in its first section.
The class will introduce students to topics such as human anatomy, injury prevention, evaluation of sports injuries, first aid procedures and basic rehabilitation techniques. Students will learn how injuries occur in athletics, how they are assessed and treated, and how athletes safely return to play.
MHS Principal Matt Coalwell said the course is expected to draw interest from both student-athletes and students considering health care careers.
“ When you combine our strong numbers in athletics with the number of students interested in the health care pathway, we know this would be a popular course,” Coalwell said. School officials say the class could serve as an entry point for students considering careers such as athletic training, physical therapy, sports medicine, kinesiology, nursing or other health-related professions.
COURTESY OF MONTICELLO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Monticello High School athletic trainer Courtney Zamora treats a student-athlete during a game. The school district recently approved a new sports medicine elective that could be taught by Zamora.
The district has received a $ 9,118 Impact Grant from Resource Training and Solutions to purchase textbooks and classroom equipment needed for the course. Officials said the goal is to offer the class in a cost-neutral way, using grant funding and existing resources where possible. District leaders are exploring potential instructors, including Monticello High School athletic trainer Courtney Zamora, who is working toward the licensure required to teach the course.
If scheduling and staffing align, the district hopes to begin offering the course in spring 2027. www. monticellotimes. com www. ssdentalcenter. com 201 Sandberg Road, Monticello MN 55362
Dr. Abramowski