Stayin’ Alive
Last week, I was walking down the hallway at Springfield High School when I heard the Brothers Gibb singing “Staying Alive” emanating from Mr. Whitmire’s classroom. Because neither disco nor the Bee Gees are the musical genre I usually associate with him, and the fact that it was just 10:30 a.m., I gave in to curiosity and popped in to see what was happening.
What I found was the ultimate display of citizenship. To me, there really is no greater way to serve another person than to become prepared to assist should we encounter someone in the midst of a medical emergency. In this case, Mr. Whitmire, with assistance from recent Springfield High School grad Aiden Yoon from Springfield Township Fire and Rescue, were teaching students CPR and how to properly use an AED. An AED, or automated external defibrillator, is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It’s a sophisticated, yet easy-touse, medical device that can analyze the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock or defibrillation to help the heart reestablish an effective rhythm.
Watching and listening to our students convinced me that we are indeed preparing students with the skills to be a successful human being. Although I hope that none of us ever need to use life-sustaining skills, I also find comfort that if we do, the training that we’ve received will kick-in. Just like it did for alumna Denae Miller. In case you missed that story, while still an SHS/Penta student, Denae was at Walmart when a fellow shopper experienced a health emergency, and she didn’t hesitate. She used the life-saving skills she had learned in class and helped save someone’s life.
There are two things that I hope I never forget— first, that the importance of the life skills that we teach (in addition to the rigorous academics) should never be minimized. And, especially because it took a while to get that song and that rhythmic beat off my mind, (which is precisely the reason it is used during the instruction of CPR), and next, if the need ever arises to perform CPR, that silly song allows me to focus and do all that I can to help out.
The song “Stayin’ Alive” may indeed be a metaphor for preparing and engaging in the ultimate act of community service—helping someone else to live another day.
