To put swine before pupils

Lungs and tongues.

While the thought often makes their high school-age peers swoon, seventh-graders at Carden Academy of Huntington Beach eagerly have been dissecting a pig fetus and sheep’s heart.

Their teacher, Maryann Vasquez, also attends UC Irvine in the evenings, and plans to become a neurosurgeon. A friend of hers procured the specimens for her bioscience class.

“It helps the students learn these concepts so much better,� said school founding director Carol Van Asten.

The kids were first introduced to their new porcine companions Feb. 24, and quickly named them, giving them both male and female moniker options, as the pigs’ genders hadn’t been ascertained yet.

They chose the names Pedro (or possibly Pedrina), Alfred (or Alfreda), Rihanna (or Chris) and Bacon � for the porky one.

When the students first saw their assignment, and took in the odor of formaldehyde inherent in the job, some looked at each other in solidarity and embarrassment; others were simply intrigued.

While examining the specimens, the students used worksheets to check off the structures they could identify � like the ribs, parts of the heart, kidneys, liver and intestines.

They used scalpels and other tools to lift and separate, so they could see the kidneys � “they look like little brownies,� one student said � or the gallbladder, referred to as “the little green smushy thing right here.�

Alexandra Henderson, 12, said she was surprised to discover that after being grossed out initially, she now wants to study medicine. Other students stuck to their guns, saying they still wanted to be a Realtor or a banker.

Later in the class, the students’ parents were given the opportunity to come in and observe their students’ progress.

“If you feel dizzy, please step out,� Vasquez warned them.

Some took the hint, after a cursory glance at four tiny hooves sticking up in the air.

In future days, the students were allowed to actually cut into the specimens, so they studied the brain and head, and learned about the respiratory system.

“I told them that they had to earn the right to get into the specimens,� Vasquez said; part of that involved learning how to prepare for and clean up after the dissections.

Future specimens will include frogs, fish and starfish, she said.

But that Tuesday, it was all about the swine.