On Monday, Oct. 10, while students enjoyed the time to sleep in, school district teachers, administrators, coaches, and staff were learning the skills to help save a life.
Tiffany Brown, one of the volleyball coaches at the middle school said, "As a coach I think it's important to be CPR certified so you can help players on the court or spectators in the stands as needed."
Each year only a handful of employees including coaches get the training, but this year all employees were trained.
"We want all teachers and coaches to know what to do to help save a life," Superintendent Dwight Sanders said.
Currently and AED is located at both the Elementary and High Schools. Two additional defibrillators, one for the elementary and one for the football field. Each defibrillator is about $3000 not including the extra pads.
One of the future plans is to make this event an every year happening so new teachers and coaches can be trained.
Planning for the CPR and AED training was a major undertaking that could not have been done without the help of several volunteers.
"We would like to extend a huge expression of gratitude to Crystal Ashley, Elizabeth Farris, Carol Hodges, John Lucas and Tiffany Rutledge for donating their time and energy to make this event the success that it was," said Sanders.
Special thanks also goes out to the leaders of Capitol Region Medical Center, Mid-Mo Ambulance District, and Moniteau County Health Center for sharing their recourses that were needed to accomplish this event.
Sanders said, "We could not have done it without their contributions."