Staying alive: Detroit Catholic Central students all being certified in CPR

Staying alive: Detroit Catholic Central students all being certified in CPR
Detroit Catholic Central High School may be on its way to becoming the safest place in Oakland County in the event of a medical emergency.

That's because the school plans to certify every student in CPR by 2026.

As part of a program launched this year in freshman health classes, students spend several days working with school nurse Laura Helm to learn the basics and practice on dummies in the classroom so they can obtain their CPR certification. Each incoming freshman class will undergo the training.

"To give these guys the life skills to, perhaps, go on and save a life, it's pretty awesome," said Brandon Kaleniecki, a health and physical education teacher and varsity hockey coach at the school. "It's a different thing and a lot of kids haven't had that experience of understanding what it is they're supposed to be doing."

The effort to teach CPR started in the health classes offered in the fall, and the students in the spring semester recently wrapped up their certification lessons. With all students learning the skill, the hope is everyone will obtain certification by the time the current freshmen become seniors.

"(The students) actually really impressed me. Their compressions were really good. They seemed to have a real interest in learning how to do it correctly," Helm said. "They're involved and they ask a lot of good questions."

Freshman Colin Gast was taking CPR lessons for the first time and said learning the skills are important since he never knows when he might need them.

"I thought that it was a great experience for us to know how to save someone's life," said Gast, who lives in Green Oak Township. "You'd be surprised where you might need to use it, because nobody really expects that you might choke on a piece of food."

He said he learned several things during the session he never thought about before, including how to hold the victim's head properly. 

Students took several days at the end of the semester on CPR lessons and practiced doing chest compressions on dummies. At the end of the session, students are provided a way to access their CPR certification card online.

CPR certification is good for two years before people must be recertified. Helm said she's working on ways to make sure students can recertify during their junior years at the school, though that won't be necessary until 2025.

Helm said she believes having students learn the procedure is a great idea.

"I would like to see this program be able to come into schools," she said. "It happens, and you never know when it's going to happen."