Hollister - Fingers interlaced, San Andreas senior Kylie Avila pumped her palms against the chest of the dummy, her eyes fixed in concentration.
Avila and other San Andreas High School seniors became CPR certified Wednesday through a five-hour class, provided to the students through funds raised for the senior class.
"You never know what scenarios could happen, so it's good to take classes like this so you're aware and prepared," 18-year-old Avila said.
While other students at San Andreas High School took the Standardized Testing and Reporting exams this week, nearly 40 seniors, who are not required to take the tests, learned valuable new skills and took part in community service activities. On top of the CPR lesson, the students will be painting a sound wall today and doing other tasks for the department of public works.
"This is something that they'll be able to take away into the broader world after high school," said Barbara Murray, who has organized the event for the high school for the past four years.
The CPR certification helps prepare the students with a skill that can be helpful both in their personal life as well as professionally. Dolores Villal-n, who trains the students along with her husband, Daniel, and her son Danny, said she thinks it's an important job skill for students to have.
"A lot of (the students) don't have a lot of background to join the job force," Villal-n said. "When they have a certificate saying they've been trained in CPR, it looks very good."
Besides preparing the students for the job force and to be good Samaritans, Murray said she hopes the CPR training and the community service will make the students aware of the issues facing their community.
"It raises awareness of the issues that affect this community in terms of the limited number of emergency response vehicles," Murray said.
Murray said the students' community service also increased their understanding of the shortstaffing at public works and other city departments.
"It's our opportunity for one day to have some seniors have some empathy for the work being done," Murray said.
Murray said she hopes to continue to be able to provide the CPR training for years to come, although the money is dependent on small fundraisers she holds throughout the year.
"Every kid we certify is so important," Murray said. "Now when they go away having taken this training, there's a level of transformation that they have - the realization that you have a skill that is really a life-or-death skill."
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 336 or at ajoy@freelancenews.com.
Alice Joy Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at ajoy@freelancenews.com or 831-637-5566 ext. 336.
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