Ridgeview High giving students life-saving skills

All those tests, getting into college — senior year is hectic — now lawmakers could add life-saving skills into the required mix.

Health teacher Guy Millington said Friday that all students who graduate from Ridgeview High School will be trained in CPR and AED.

“Having those skills, (it’s important) to react quick enough and confident enough that you have a chance,” Millington said.

And soon, schools across the state could also be required to provide this training for students.

A public hearing was held Thursday in Salem on a bill that would require high school students to take CPR and AED training.

Millington said he incorporates a full week of the training into his health classes. At the end, students take exams. They then have the option of taking their training to the next level.

“I actually did get the certification,” said student Jordyn Langeliers, who took the class last fall. “It’s not maybe necessary, but I thought it was a good idea — because I was taking it, why not go the extra step?”

Millington said about half of his students choose to get CPR certified in the end.

“If you just put on the DVD and sat back and let the DVD do the talking, it would lose a lot of kids,” he explained, saying he teaches his class hands-on.

“We add the personal story, which brings up conversation, we use scenarios, real-life situations just to make it more realistic to them,” Millington said.

Classroom simulations that could someday save a life.

“Having the real-life part of it, kind of played into how it could happen,” Langeliers said. “And I just think it gives you a better perspective.”