Senior Year Lesson That Could Save a Life

At Trivium Prep, seniors received a required training that was a bit different from the Great Books, fine arts, or Socratic discussions they are accustomed to in an average school day, but the CPR training they received could be among some of the most impactful life lessons they will learn at Great Hearts.

Under A.R.S. § 15-718.01, all school districts and charter schools in Arizona must provide age-appropriate Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training using psychomotor (hands-on) skills during high school before graduation. Currently, 43 states and Washington, D.C. require students to receive CPR instruction before high school graduation.

CPR is a life-saving technique used in emergencies when someone’s heart stops beating. Performing CPR can double or even triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. Statistics show that immediate CPR from bystanders can significantly improve outcomes until professional help arrives.

Mystie Foote, a physics teacher at the Trivium Prep, administered the training. Foote began her career as medical doctor before pivoting to teach for Great Hearts.

Foote explained that the training covers the basics of CPR, including how to do chest compressions and respond in emergencies. “The reason that we’re doing this is to better prepare our students for what happens when they leave the safety of our school and they become adults and go to college so that they’re prepared for emergencies.”

Each student practices as a group and then individually with an adult CPR mannequin and an infant mannequin. After a simulation has been demonstrated, they learn how to approach an emergency, how to call for help, and how to administer CPR, all while being supervised and prompted by the instructor situated right next to them. They also get to use an AED device on the mannequins to familiarize themselves with the lifesaving units in real time.

“We learned the five fears of CPR, about how there’s fear of doing it wrong. There’s that uncertainty,” shared Mariana Villalobos, a senior at Trivium Prep. “And I think that one’s the one that stuck out to me the most because that was my fear going into it. And I think having that comfort of ultimately, you are going to help the person and doing nothing is ultimately worse than trying.”

The CPR training requirement for high school graduation is an important step toward creating a safer and more prepared society. By teaching young people life-saving skills, the certified CPR instructors at each Great Hearts academy are enhancing the safety of the community and encouraging a sense of responsibility and readiness in this next generation.

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Submit a student application to a Great Hearts Academy by visiting: https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/enroll/.