When a pedestrian and a bicyclist collided and both fell to the ground unresponsive in Brookline Village in February, adults in the area stood frozen in fear. It was a group of high school Girls Cross-County runners, out on their afternoon run, who jumped into action, directed a bystander to call 911 and engaged in the preliminary steps of CPR.
The American Heart Association’s CPR certification is built into the Lifetime Wellness course, a graduation requirement. Wellness teachers and coordinators say the certification is crucial for students to be prepared in times of crisis and is a step to protect the community around them. Since last year, all wellness courses other than Lifetime Wellness (which is primarily taken by freshmen) have added a mandatory CPR re-certification process, intended to refresh older students.
Sofia Bhandari Cordoba was one of the runners who witnessed the collision. She said that without the CPR training she had received in Lifetime Wellness, she would not have known what to do in that situation.
“My thought process was, ‘I’m not sure exactly what my first step is going to be, but it can’t just be to stand frozen. That can’t be the right thing to do,’” Bhandari Cordoba said. “Then once I started moving, I was like, ‘Hey, what’s the first step that we learned last year [in Lifetime Wellness]?’”
Physics teacher Julia Mangan also had to use CPR skills in an emergency during a trip to Florida last year. After finding someone unresponsive, she called 911 and performed CPR until the paramedics arrived. Having been a lifeguard and Girl Scout as a teenager, Mangan knew which steps to take in the situation when other bystanders did not.
“I think [being CPR certified] is the number one most important thing that we as a community can do to take care of each other. I’m talking macro-scale, not just Brookline High. Everyone knowing how to help another person survive is key,” Mangan said.
Amanda Grindstaff, a wellness teacher, said she thinks the CPR certification is useful for students because it builds their resumes for jobs such as babysitting and lifeguarding and it allows them to act in situations where they need to save others.
“In high school, it’s the beginning of students really taking ownership and responsibility for their choices, and I really want them to think about being able to step in,” Grindstaff said. “You can be a powerful change agent in any environment, whether it is life-saving or in your friendship circle if someone is struggling.”
K-12 wellness education coordinator Carlyn Uyenoyama said CPR instruction is an important skill for every student to have, regardless of who they are.
“If you have any situation where you’re a caregiver or you’re a babysitter or you’re a counselor in training, you’re responsible for other people. That kind of feeling that you can react in an emergency and feel comfortable and confident in your skills is something we want for all students,” Uyenoyama said.
Uyenoyama herself saved a choking baby many years ago, and said she was able to handle the situation because she had been first-aid and CPR certified multiple times throughout high school. Choking response is also part of the Lifetime Wellness Curriculum. Uyenoyama said that she hopes to expand the life-saving skills taught in Lifetime Wellness to possibly include how to use an EpiPen, stop profuse bleeding and administer Narcan to end a drug overdose.
Bhandari Cordoba said that it was a shocking moment to be in a scary situation and to be the one taking action, but she is proud of being able to handle it with her teammates, without having to rely on the adults around her.
“When I would learn [about using CPR], in my head, I was always thinking, ‘Is this even going to be useful if I’m one of those people [who] freeze and can’t respond in time?’” Bhandari Cordoba said. “Now I know that I’m capable of handling a situation like that under pressure and not freezing, and I’m happy about that.”
