St. Francis High School teacher Amanda Schoening has always taught cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training basics in her Health classes, but typically for only one class period. When students started asking if they could get certified for the training it gave Schoening an idea.
Working collaboratively with school administration, Schoening received her American Red Cross instructor certification and was able to expand her classroom teachings to offer students the opportunity to be First Aid, CPR and AED certified through the Red Cross. In the spring, she offered this to sophomore students taking Health.
“We had 33 students that chose to get certified,” Schoening said. “Many of these students voiced how helpful it will be to have for their summer jobs such as daycare provider, lifeguard, OSHA requirements for construction jobs, and even students going into certified nursing assistant (CNA) work. It is one less obstacle for them to start their employment and this course was a third of the price.”
Now with her certification, Schoening can continue to provide extensive training for these valuable skills to future students.