The Olympic U.S Speed Skating team has Dr. Nichola St. James keeping them in playing condition, and so does our athletes.

St. James is the school’s athletic trainer and Sports Medicine instructor. She attended Flower Mound Marcus High School and received her PhD at Walden University. She has traveled all over the world, from China, Taiwan, and Holland with the U.S Olympic Speed Skating Team. St. James does this while also being a full time teacher and athletic trainer for our campus.

“It’s a lot of fun to work with the world class athletes and see their work ethic and just help them do better and then see them in the Olympics.” said St. James

St. James, after working in several different fields, juggled being a mother and pursuing her doctorate. She found that juggling a higher education workload with her home life relates to her students.

“Applying that to high school as a stepping stone to where you want to go in life helps.” St. James said, “Even being tenacious in our classes, being dedicated to our sports, and our clubs teaches them those principles.”

In the classroom St. James works to make the material applicable to real life. Her Sports Medicine students are able to be on standby on the sidelines football games to observe and learn in real time. Inspired by a her AP Honors Science teacher, Mr. Mylam, her junior year of high school.

“He made it apply to who we were but not just right the for the course but for long term, so I try to do that in my teaching as well.” said St. James.

Now her teaching matches Mylam’s in making anatomy come to life. Her presentations are loaded with puns about human anatomy.

“If you’re up in front of the class and it’s a boring lecture if you throw in some puns, even if they’re really corny,” said St. James, “it redirects everyone’s attention and their mood and then they learn better.”

But in Sports Medicine there is way more than just “boring” PowerPoint or lectures. In the class they do labs, learn how to tape, they palpate; feel the bony or muscular structure of the body, use videos, and dissect some videos of injury.

“It’s not just concept that you’re learning that you’re never going to use.” St. James said.

St.James gives her students life lessons that transcend the four walls of her classroom and is a welcome addition to the staff.