On January 30th, 2019, the freshman class of 22 took part in learning CPR due to a law put in place by the state of Ohio on last year’s freshman. The Pleasant Valley Fire Department came and taught the freshman class how to spot someone in need of CPR and how to take action to help that person. They also showed students the equipment you can use to potentially save someone’s life.

Dummies were used as a demonstration to show students what they must do to save a life. A dummy was placed on each desk and students were instructed to pump the chest at the beat of the song “Staying Alive” by Bee Gees. Instructors also showed students how to use an AED defibrillator, which sends an electric current to the heart.  The students really enjoyed learning these activities and even challenged their friends to see who could pump the dummy’s chest the fastest.

Gavin Nash, a freshman student who partook in learning CPR, said, “It was very different, it was a great experience to actually learn that type a thing, plus we kind of got a free day from class to learn something important.” Gavin was really intrigued when he first heard about the CPR class, and wanted the ability to help someone if need be. Now Gavin, as well as many other students, have some knowledge on the topic if a problem were to happen in or outside of school.

Overall, the freshman students enjoyed learning CPR and felt that taking the time out of the day was worth learning a valuable skill that can be used to save someone’s life.