Godwin Heights — Freshman Kylee Nelson knelt over a mannequin, hands stacked one on top of the other as she pressed down on its chest, listening closely as the instructor guided her rhythm.
When she finally stood up, she was a little bit winded.
“Keeping a steady pace after a while, that was hard,” Kylee said after the practice round.
Students in all grades at the high school recently took part in Heart Healthy Day. They learned CPR techniques and how to use an automated external defibrillator, attended a presentation on the dangers of vaping, and participated in health screenings that measured blood pressure and heart rate.
“It is really an awesome opportunity for our students to learn CPR,” said the district’s nurse, Meagan Schaefer, who organized the event.
Representatives from Corewell Health and various emergency medical services provided the CPR and AED training. Corewell Health volunteers also helped with the health screenings and a pulmonologist presented the vaping program.
“Through the screenings, we hope to identify any outliers,” said Schaefer, who noted that the plan includes following up with students who register high blood pressure through a partnership with Cherry Health, which operates a clinic at the high school.
Students also completed questionnaires to demonstrate their health knowledge, she said; the results will help guide the implementation of future health topics at the school.
The state of Michigan requires that all students in grades seventh to 12th receive CPR and AED training. Principal Mike Porco said the goal of the event was to have every student go through the training; makeup days are planned for those who were not able to attend.
Tracy Hosford, an emergency clinical nurse specialist for Corewell, said the training focused on keeping the steps simple. Students were taught to recognize when a person is down, to call 911, start CPR and to get an AED.
Several of the students mentioned they had received the training in health class but it was nice to have a refresher.
“I think this is a great opportunity to get everyone certified,” said senior Twan Brown.
Twan said his take away from the event was that “it’s better to do something than nothing.”
“What I thought was interesting is that 40% of individuals who land on the ground receive no CPR help,” he said, adding that many people are too scared to help someone when they are down. “So it is definitely a good life skill to have.”
Read more from Godwin Heights:
• Multilingual fair connects students to summer opportunities
• Level playing field offers connection for students with all abilities
