Matt Frye/The Smithville HeraldFrom left, Smithville’s Desiree Wright, her son, Clayton, and Smithville Middle School social studies teacher Steve Tyrer take a look at lungs that were burdened by emphysema and pneumonia during a school tour of Bodies Revealed at Union Station Thursday, May 1.
Join our Mailing List!
Please click the link below to sign up for your community paper mailing list. Stay up to date with all the events going on in your community as well as the latest news.Sign Up Today!
Bodies revealed, students inspired
Eighth-graders take field trip to Union Station for unique look into the human body
By Ashley Vasquez
Eighth-grade students at Smithville Middle School had the rare opportunity to take an up close look into the human body last week.
The students took a field trip to the Kansas City Union Station exhibit of “Bodies Revealed” Thursday, May 1.
The exhibit features real human bodies preserved for visitors to explore including full bodies, different parts such as brains, stomachs and the spinal
cord as well as processes of the human body like pregnancy. The exhibit will continue to be on display until Monday, Sept. 1.
Teacher Ramona Emery said it was often difficult to find field trip exhibits like this one that fit within the age and learning requirements of eighth-graders.
“Most of the exhibits in town are either for really little kids or much older kids and that is why this one is so special,” she said. “This fit in exactly with where the kids are learning-wise, and it was a great opportunity.”
Here is what people had to say about the exhibit:
“I didn’t know the human body was that complex until I saw it. They also had the body in sections and you could see babies with little toes.” Jordan Gilstrap, student
“I liked how it had a normal person’s brain up next to a person with Down’s Syndrome and Alzheimer’s brains. They were so much smaller.” Emily Capps, student
“It was really cool and disgusting at the same time.” Austin Armstrong, student
“I had always learned that the heart was the size of our fist but these hearts were twice that size. They were huge.” Laura Lister, student
“The whole thing was cool. I thought the baby thing was really weird and I didn’t know babies are in there so tight.” Nick Nance, student
“They showed a diseased kidney and what it looked like compared to a healthy one. It really brings it home.” Ramona Emery, teacher
“I didn’t know how many blood vessels there were in us. It was really bizarre to see.”
Caleb Nelson, student
“I liked when we got to see what the brain looked like after a stroke. It had a big black spot.”
Logan Hale, student
“No one wanted to look at the brain the way it looks normally but it was neat to see when it was injected with dye and how it all worked.” Colton Reid, student
“I liked that scientists were walking around and you could ask them any question you wanted and you could feel some of the body parts like the stomach.” Ashley Rogers, student
“They showed a lung after someone had smoked, and it was all black. There was a trashcan near it where people had all thrown away their cigarettes when they saw it. It makes your rethink ever smoking.” Carrington Hall, student
“The brain was messed up. Its weird to think it came from a real person.” Trevan Hiatt, student
“I liked the one exhibit where they injected dye into the blood vessels. I was surprised how intricate it was.” McKenzie Veselic, student
“The cancer was really neat to see what it looks like.” Taylor Thomas, student
printable version
e-mail this story
The students took a field trip to the Kansas City Union Station exhibit of “Bodies Revealed” Thursday, May 1.
The exhibit features real human bodies preserved for visitors to explore including full bodies, different parts such as brains, stomachs and the spinal
cord as well as processes of the human body like pregnancy. The exhibit will continue to be on display until Monday, Sept. 1.
Teacher Ramona Emery said it was often difficult to find field trip exhibits like this one that fit within the age and learning requirements of eighth-graders.
“Most of the exhibits in town are either for really little kids or much older kids and that is why this one is so special,” she said. “This fit in exactly with where the kids are learning-wise, and it was a great opportunity.”
Here is what people had to say about the exhibit:
“I didn’t know the human body was that complex until I saw it. They also had the body in sections and you could see babies with little toes.” Jordan Gilstrap, student
“I liked how it had a normal person’s brain up next to a person with Down’s Syndrome and Alzheimer’s brains. They were so much smaller.” Emily Capps, student
“It was really cool and disgusting at the same time.” Austin Armstrong, student
“I had always learned that the heart was the size of our fist but these hearts were twice that size. They were huge.” Laura Lister, student
“The whole thing was cool. I thought the baby thing was really weird and I didn’t know babies are in there so tight.” Nick Nance, student
“They showed a diseased kidney and what it looked like compared to a healthy one. It really brings it home.” Ramona Emery, teacher
“I didn’t know how many blood vessels there were in us. It was really bizarre to see.”
Caleb Nelson, student
“I liked when we got to see what the brain looked like after a stroke. It had a big black spot.”
Logan Hale, student
“No one wanted to look at the brain the way it looks normally but it was neat to see when it was injected with dye and how it all worked.” Colton Reid, student
“I liked that scientists were walking around and you could ask them any question you wanted and you could feel some of the body parts like the stomach.” Ashley Rogers, student
“They showed a lung after someone had smoked, and it was all black. There was a trashcan near it where people had all thrown away their cigarettes when they saw it. It makes your rethink ever smoking.” Carrington Hall, student
“The brain was messed up. Its weird to think it came from a real person.” Trevan Hiatt, student
“I liked the one exhibit where they injected dye into the blood vessels. I was surprised how intricate it was.” McKenzie Veselic, student
“The cancer was really neat to see what it looks like.” Taylor Thomas, student