All Shaler Area juniors and seniors receive the training to save a person’s life through the District’s Health and Physical Education Department.

Shaler Area physical education teachers provide students with an entire unit of first aid and CPR instruction during the course of their high school careers. The lessons include hands-on training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) administration on mannequins and with AED trainers before certification testing or being faced with a real life situation.

Following the lessons, students have the opportunity to be certified in CPR through the American Heart Association and receive a certification card for a $5 fee.

In 2010, the Health and Physical Education Department revamped its curriculum to provide students with an entire unit in first aid and CPR, which included the option to receive certification in CPR. Shaler Area’s physical education teachers were trained to be certified CPR trainers who could test students to be certified in CPR through the American Hearth Association.

The CPR certification provides students with the opportunity to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Shaler Area High School graduate Clint Volle used the lessons he learned in his high school health class in the fall of 2014 when he performed CPR on his father. His quick actions were credited with helping to save his father’s life after a heart attack.

In the last year, more than 100 students were certified in CPR through the American Heart Association with a total of more than 360 students being trained in CPR and first aid through the Shaler Area High School course. This year, the American Heart Association is moving to provide electronic certification cards to individuals who complete the CPR training and pass the test. Adam Rosenwald, health and physical education department chair at the high school, said he anticipates this change will result in 100% certification from students who complete the course.

“Every year, we increase the number of students who receive certification through health class,” Rosenwald said.