Beech Tree News Network

Last July, Med Center Health and Butler County Schools partnered together to bring the very first Athletic Trainer to Butler County High School. Athletic Trainer Noel Belcher, a 2010 graduate of BCHS, returned to Morgantown after working in Owensboro, KY at Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Owensboro, servicing Owensboro High School. As the Athletic Trainer, Belcher is responsible for athletic injury prevention, evaluation, and rehabilitation of BCHS student-athletes.

Now BCHS students are getting a first-hand look at the profession of Athletic Training with the start of a student aide program. Juniors Audrey Deweese, Aubrey Clark, and Conley Moore have been on the sidelines of BCHS athletic events shadowing Belcher while providing sports medicine coverage. "It's a great way for students to learn about orthopedic injuries and sports medicine. It's one thing to learn anatomy and physiology in a classroom but very different when you see it in person and have to relate that knowledge to athletic injuries. I'm excited to advocate for the profession of Athletic Training and give it some exposure to interested students. I hope to have 2-3 kids in the program each year that are planning to enter the healthcare field, not necessarily sports medicine specifically. These students are volunteering their time after school to learn, and I'll do everything I can to help them in their future career plans and education. Hopefully, this program produces some great Nurses, Physical Therapists, Athletic Trainers, or even Doctors one day." - Noel Belcher

BCHS Student Athletic Training Aide Program Objective:"This program was designed to create an environment where students can observe and experience the field of Sports Medicine. Student aides will gain: knowledge of anatomy and physiology, relate injuries to the demands of sport, assist with immediate care of injuries once properly trained, observe and understand rehabilitation techniques while assisting athletes with basic rehabilitation exercises, assist with the application of modalities and understand the effectiveness of each, and assist with general athletic training procedures during games and practices. The goal of the program is to prepare our student aides for future education and professional responsibility."