This year’s Valentine’s Day isn’t just about the feelings of the heart for students at Kermit McKenzie Junior High School; it’s also about keeping it beating, too.
Firefighters and first responders are running a series of CPR exercises for more than 360 students and staffers from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day to ensure students learn the life-saving techniques. Kermit McKenzie physical education teacher Louise Tonascia said in a press release that she believes CPR knowledge will create stronger community engagement.
“Students will have some tools to use when someone needs help or assistance,” Tonascia said in the press release. “In a small community such as Guadalupe, neighbors need to help neighbors. We want our students to value life, and these types of things can help them be better citizens.”
Members of the Guadalupe police and fire departments and American Medical Response, as well as students from Allan Hancock College Emergency Medical Service program, are running the trainings as part of the American Heart Association’s Heart Month. February is dedicated to education and outreach activities.
This article appears in Feb 13-20, 2014.