by Jen Myers
Walking by the Sullivan Middle School auditorium on Tuesday morning, you would think there was a disco in there as the groovy beats of the Bee Gees’ iconic anthem “Stayin’ Alive” reverberated through the air.
This was a different kind of dance; one between a person in distress and a good Samaritan willing to jump in and help. In that auditorium, 25 seventh graders were learning how to properly perform CPR, which at 100 chest compressions per minute, fits perfectly to the rhythm of the 70’s classic.
This addition to the health class curriculum was unexpected. During the November 5 professional development day for teachers, Sullivan Health teacher Scott Anderson took a CPR recertification course at Lowell High. Taking the course sparked and idea and he took a chance – asking if he could borrow the CPR dummies for his class. Pridestar Trinity EMS staff said yes without hesitation.
Anderson said he has a lot of leeway in creating curriculum for his class and thought CPR training would be a great life skill to teach 7th graders as part of their comprehensive health education that includes discussions on mental health, substance use/abuse, sexuality, healthy choices, and more.
“This is a pretty big school and we only have five teachers who are CPR certified, so it made sense to me to make sure we have students that know what to do if something happens,” he said.
The students practiced what to do in an emergency – from checking the scene to make sure it is safe, to shaking the patient to make sure they are not just sleeping, and what to say when you call 911.
They then learned and practiced, and practiced, and practiced proper CPR technique for both adults and infants, and learned where the AED is in their school and how to use it in an emergency.
They also learned how to properly execute the Heimlich maneuver if someone is choking and how to use the LifeVac devices donated to the district by the Florence family.
Anderson told the students not to be scared to do CPR because they feel they may “do it wrong,” because the only way you can do it wrong is not to do anything.
Seventh grader Eli Williams said he did have some CPR training during a summer program he attended this year, but felt Anderson’s class was more in-depth and impactful.
He thinks all middle and high school students should learn CPR and now feels confident that if he was in a situation where someone needed help he could answer the call.
