In the US, around 1,000 people, including 15 children, go into cardiac arrest every day. Without CPR, they have a survival rate of ~10%. With CPR, their chances of survival can triple. If an AED is used, survival rates can rise to 90%. This is why, as health teacher Rachael Lupone said, “It’s such an important life-saving skill.”
CPR, or Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, is a life-saving technique that involves pressing the chest of a victim of cardiac arrest up and down to keep blood circulating to the brain. Invented in the 1960s and endorsed by the American Heart Association in 1963, it’s now taught at schools, summer camps, and workplaces internationally.
At The Morgan School, students in Health 2 classes learn these lifesaving skills, alongside the typical health education topics. The curriculum, first implemented in 2021, primarily covers hands-only CPR, as well as AED usage and basic first aid techniques, including the abdominal thrust maneuver. The program is run through the American Red Cross, utilizing the ARC’s materials and program structure.
At the end of the unit, students have the chance to become CPR certified for an extra fee of $37. This is helpful for many students because many jobs for teens require getting a CPR/First Aid certification, including teaching, lifeguarding, and being a camp counselor. Outside of health class, these certification classes can cost $46 to $102. And, as Mrs. Lupone sees it, “The more people that can get certified, that can have the knowledge and education and understanding of it, the better.”
Unlike many other health units, CPR/AED requires hands-on learning, which is why students utilize mannequins to practice first aid techniques, one of the main reasons students enjoy the class.
“They really like it because it’s something different than what I traditionally teach in health classes; it’s super hands-on. It’s something different, an actual skill that they can use for the rest of their life,” said Lupone. “I think the hands-on component elevates their level of learning and understanding because they’re actually practicing the skills. I’m not just teaching the skills.”
Junior Katrina Harris said, “Even though I am already certified, I liked it. I especially like that it allowed students to get CPR and first aid certified, because not all students have access to that (outside of school).”
Junior Emerson Dunning agreed, saying, “It’s a good way for people to learn, and it’s a lot cheaper than taking an outside class.”
Along with hands-on work, the course uses slide presentations created by the American Red Cross to ensure a standardized CPR education. “We follow a very specific curriculum through the American Red Cross. And we try to stick to that, for obvious reasons,” said Lupone.
CPR and first aid are critical skills to have, and I would implore readers to seek education, because you just might save someone’s life someday.
