During March, Pryor High School freshmen rotated through Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training led by Pryor High School RN Morgan Scheffel and School Resource Officer Ross Armontrout.
Students gathered in the South Commons for hands-on instruction focused on how to respond in an emergency. Using CPR manikins, Nurse Scheffel and Officer Ross guided students through the basic steps of performing CPR and helped them build confidence through practice.
Scheffel said many students were surprised to learn how often CPR may be needed in real-life situations.
“They didn’t understand how common it is to need CPR, and once they understood that, the students were really engaged,” Scheffel said.
She added that students were energized by the training and seemed to truly enjoy the lesson.
The training is part of a statewide requirement under the Dustin Rhodes and Lindsay Steed CPR Training Act, which requires Oklahoma public school students to receive CPR and AED instruction at least once between ninth grade and graduation. The law also requires hands-on psychomotor skills practice as part of the training.
The training equips students with practical, potentially life-saving skills they can carry with them far beyond the classroom.