Life-saving instruction
Kingsley-Pierson aims to certify all high schoolers in CPR, First Aid
By Tim Gallagher | Posted: Thursday, October 02, 2008
Barb Sitzmann, school nurse at Kingsley-Pierson High School, checks the battery in the automatic external defibrillator in the commons at the high school in Kingsley. Sitzmann is working on a grant to get two more AEDs for the school district. She's also hoping to one day procure 10 more "Annies" and 10 more "babies" for CPR instruction. (Photo by Tim Gallagher)
KINGSLEY, Iowa -- When Kingsley-Pierson High School junior Jess Herbold suffered a heart attack and collapsed at football camp Aug. 5, he picked a good place.
Herbold was surrounded by coaches who had completed CPR training at one point.
And so had most of his classmates and the other sophomores, juniors and seniors at Kingsley-Pierson. This is one Siouxland school where officials put cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the same academic plane as geometry and advanced composition.
"We require all of our students to have CPR training," says Superintendent Scott Bailey. "It's part of our health class."
Having all Iowa high school seniors trained in CPR is one goal of the new Healthy Kids Act approved by the Iowa Legislature last year. All seniors by 2010, depending on when the program rolls out, must receive this training before they graduate.
At Kingsley-Pierson, they've done that and then some. High school students, staff members, coaches, instructors and administrators must not only be trained, but be certified in CPR.
Barb Sitzmann, the school nurse at K-P, directs the instruction. She said the mission was clear when she interviewed for this post four years ago.
"When I interviewed, Mr. Bailey asked if I would be willing to teach CPR," she says. "It's been a passion for me. If I'm going to teach one group of kids, I want to teach another and then another."
Sitzmann, a nurse for 21 years, has seen CPR work in hospital settings eight to 10 times. She imagined it could save even more lives if practiced more in the field.
She wasn't thinking football field, but that's what happened when Jess Herbold collapsed on the second day of football camp. The Panther football player was resuscitated by coaches Randy Plendl, Bart Boustead and Gary Bodiford. All three men had been trained in CPR at one point, as had coach Jared Rapp, who talked the others through the process.
While Sitzmann hadn't trained these coaches, she will do so in the future. She's in the midst of having all coaches, staff members and instructors certify or recertify in CPR.
"On Jan. 2, I'll have an in-service day for all staff who haven't had the training," Sitzmann said. "And the kids who've moved to Kingsley-Pierson since high school began, they can get instruction that day."
"Our goal was to get everybody in this building certified," adds B.J. Mulder, a health instructor at Kingsley-Pierson. "And this year we'll get there. The kids really have taken it seriously, which is great to see."
When a buddy's life is saved, well, nothing is more serious than that.
"You could hear a pin drop," says Tyler Sudbeck, remembering the afternoon Herbold collapsed. "We wanted to help, but the coaches asked us to stand back."
Questions that juniors like Sudbeck and classmate Todd Bottorff were getting from freshmen about CPR instruction suddenly took on deeper meaning.
"We told the freshmen about the course and not to be too worried about it," says Bottorff. "But it is (doing CPR) more work than it looked like."
In the past, Sitzmann has related her hospital-room work stories to K-P students while covering the basics involved in compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She needn't look too far this year for an example. Herbold just returned to the classroom Tuesday.
"It's great to see him back," she says on the day of his return.
Like Bottorff and Sudbeck, he'll be in a class to recertify this month. Sitzmann hands out study guides Monday.
"These kids are above and beyond what's expected," says Sitzmann, noting this year's senior class will be certified in both CPR and First Aid. "It's been a big challenge for me, but a wonderful accomplishment for our district."
[vmixid=2122649]
Quotable:
"It (CPR) was more work than it looked like." -- Todd Bottorff, junior
"It (CPR) is used more than you think." -- Tyler Sudbeck, junior
"These kids are above and beyond what's expected." -- Barb Sitzmann, K-P school nurse
Herbold was surrounded by coaches who had completed CPR training at one point.
And so had most of his classmates and the other sophomores, juniors and seniors at Kingsley-Pierson. This is one Siouxland school where officials put cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the same academic plane as geometry and advanced composition.
"We require all of our students to have CPR training," says Superintendent Scott Bailey. "It's part of our health class."
Having all Iowa high school seniors trained in CPR is one goal of the new Healthy Kids Act approved by the Iowa Legislature last year. All seniors by 2010, depending on when the program rolls out, must receive this training before they graduate.
At Kingsley-Pierson, they've done that and then some. High school students, staff members, coaches, instructors and administrators must not only be trained, but be certified in CPR.
Barb Sitzmann, the school nurse at K-P, directs the instruction. She said the mission was clear when she interviewed for this post four years ago.
"When I interviewed, Mr. Bailey asked if I would be willing to teach CPR," she says. "It's been a passion for me. If I'm going to teach one group of kids, I want to teach another and then another."
Sitzmann, a nurse for 21 years, has seen CPR work in hospital settings eight to 10 times. She imagined it could save even more lives if practiced more in the field.
She wasn't thinking football field, but that's what happened when Jess Herbold collapsed on the second day of football camp. The Panther football player was resuscitated by coaches Randy Plendl, Bart Boustead and Gary Bodiford. All three men had been trained in CPR at one point, as had coach Jared Rapp, who talked the others through the process.
While Sitzmann hadn't trained these coaches, she will do so in the future. She's in the midst of having all coaches, staff members and instructors certify or recertify in CPR.
"On Jan. 2, I'll have an in-service day for all staff who haven't had the training," Sitzmann said. "And the kids who've moved to Kingsley-Pierson since high school began, they can get instruction that day."
"Our goal was to get everybody in this building certified," adds B.J. Mulder, a health instructor at Kingsley-Pierson. "And this year we'll get there. The kids really have taken it seriously, which is great to see."
When a buddy's life is saved, well, nothing is more serious than that.
"You could hear a pin drop," says Tyler Sudbeck, remembering the afternoon Herbold collapsed. "We wanted to help, but the coaches asked us to stand back."
Questions that juniors like Sudbeck and classmate Todd Bottorff were getting from freshmen about CPR instruction suddenly took on deeper meaning.
"We told the freshmen about the course and not to be too worried about it," says Bottorff. "But it is (doing CPR) more work than it looked like."
In the past, Sitzmann has related her hospital-room work stories to K-P students while covering the basics involved in compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She needn't look too far this year for an example. Herbold just returned to the classroom Tuesday.
"It's great to see him back," she says on the day of his return.
Like Bottorff and Sudbeck, he'll be in a class to recertify this month. Sitzmann hands out study guides Monday.
"These kids are above and beyond what's expected," says Sitzmann, noting this year's senior class will be certified in both CPR and First Aid. "It's been a big challenge for me, but a wonderful accomplishment for our district."
[vmixid=2122649]
Quotable:
"It (CPR) was more work than it looked like." -- Todd Bottorff, junior
"It (CPR) is used more than you think." -- Tyler Sudbeck, junior
"These kids are above and beyond what's expected." -- Barb Sitzmann, K-P school nurse
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