Testing Anatomical Knowledge For A Second Year

Published Jun 17, 2026 5:45 pm

Operation Red Hawk Anatomage Team: (Back Left) Amanpal Dhaliwal, (Front Left) Seher Shirin, (Back Right) Lillian Faul, (Front Right) Mason Wright—CCOE photo

Calaveras County, CA—For the second year in a row, Calaveras High School (CHS) has qualified to compete at the National Anatomage Tournament.

It brings together the top high school teams from across the nation to test their anatomical knowledge. According to school officials, to qualify for the event, students must place at the top of a regional tournament. That is what this year’s team, Operation Red Hawk, successfully did at an in-person tournament at Los Lomas High School in Walnut Creek. That was followed by a virtual competition to officially qualify for the national stage, where the top 41 teams from across the nation compete for various prizes, including a $15,000 award for the winning team. The team is made up of four juniors: Amanpal Dhaliwal, Lillian Faul, Seher Shirin, and Mason Wright.

“The National Tournament was an amazing experience. I learned so much that is not only going to help me in my high school career, but I can carry on into college and the workforce. I hope we will have the opportunity to compete again next year,” shared Faul.

The two-day tournament held in May in Santa Clara tested the students through a series of rigorous challenges, as detailed by school officials. “On day one of the tournament, Calaveras placed 37th. On the second day, the tournament shifted to single-elimination bracket play. Each competition round consisted of two parts: first, students had to identify 30 anatomical structures on a life-sized virtual cadaver within 5 minutes; second, they had to answer 10 long-form physiology questions in 3 minutes.”

Teams also participated in workshops, including a hands-on suturing skills workshop, a general science knowledge competition, and presentations.

“I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the National Tournament. I learned so much from the workshops and sessions that we attended, and met many great people. I will carry this knowledge with me throughout my future career.”

The Calaveras County Office of Education’s (CCOE) Math Science and Computer Science (MSCS) grant helps to pay for the students’ travel. CHS science teacher Anita Godman praised the funding. “We were able to attend both national tournaments because of the CCOE MSCS grant. We are very appreciative of the funding from CCOE!”