A Heartstopping AP Biology Lab

1 February 2026Tema BC, Hope '26

Last week, future surgeons were sutured together in Brentwood’s science lab.

Mrs Warner’s AP Biology 12 class has recently begun the anatomy and physiology portion of the course, learning about circulation, blood flow, and most importantly, the human heart. This was followed by the much-anticipated day-of-the-sheep-heart dissection. We got suited up in our gloves, goggles, and aprons, picked up our scalpels and forceps, and got to work identifying left and right atria, aorta, and pulmonary arteries.

There were mixed feelings in the air regarding the lab. Some students were fascinated by these preserved organs and excitedly began dissecting, making exclamations of “It’s medium-rare!” and “Watch out for the juices!” Others opted to stay behind in the classroom and save themselves the queasiness and smell.

Luckily, Mrs Warner has lots of experience with these labs and offered calm reassurance to students. She shares that “Dissecting organs, like the heart, and having an opportunity to look at the different structures, in-person, help students to make connections between the theory learned in class and their everyday lives.” Mrs Warner, when will a sheep’s heart ever play a role in our everyday lives?”

Advanced Placement courses are an important part of Brentwood’s academic program, as they offer students the opportunity to challenge themselves and get a taste for the rigour of first-year university courses. For many, a highlight of AP science courses is getting lots of hands-on work in the lab. Rowan T stated the rather gruesome reality that “Once you get over the fact that it has come from a slaughterhouse, dissecting and uncovering everything in the sheep’s heart was a very interesting experience and definitely more fun than notetaking in the classroom”. Not only are these labs engaging and educational – and in some cases slightly nauseating – they also provide us with some relief from the relentless grind of the fast pace and heavy course load that pulses through every AP course.

In the coming months, this group of 12s will be on full lockdown, as we hunker down with their endless quizlet sets and multiple-choice practice questions in preparation for the looming AP exam in May. But, on this day, we got to enjoy some fun in the lab and finished up the period hoping for a lunch entrée not even faintly resembling a dissected heart.

Team BC, Hope ‘26

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