Oct 28, 2007
SCHOOLS:
Eighth grade lesson may have saved a life
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Among all the math, science and history Matt Murtough learned in eighth grade at Scotts Ridge Middle School last year, there was a kind of awkward physical thing — the “abdominal thrust” technique for helping someone who’s choking.
Good thing.
Just two months into his freshman year at Ridgefield High School, and already he’s used it — at the Oct. 13 Homecoming dance. “It was the end of the dance and everyone was getting ready to leave,” he said.
A girl caught his attention. “Her eyes were bulging out and she was crying,” he said. “...She could barely talk and she was telling me she was choking and at first I thought she was joking and she went to tell other people and they thought she was joking, and then I realized she was choking.”
He used that abdominal thrust technique — often called “the Heimlich maneuver,” after its originator.
“This candy spewed right out of her mouth,” he said.
Whatever the technique is called, Matt Murtough knew how to use it last year at Scotts Ridge. “It was a small program that everyone took, and they taught us CPR.”
Students were tested, and when they passed they got a little certificate. “It looks like a license,” Matt said.
Emergency training
Barbara Lohse is the East Ridge Middle School health teacher who organized the program. “What we do with them first: Recognizing an emergency,” Ms. Lohse said. “How do you know it’s a emergency? And how to act.
“The second component...is ‘conscious choking’ — it’s not called ‘Heimlich’ any more, it’s called abdominal thrusts...
“The other is ‘unconscious choking.’
The students are taught the “rescue breathing” technique.
“It’s what used to be called mouth-to-mouth,” Ms. Lohse said. “These kids baby-sit — we teach them rescue breathing for children.”
They also learn cardio-pulmonary resuscitation — the “CPR” technique for dealing with a stopped heart.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is also the umbrella title the program goes under.
Ms. Lohse, a longtime registered nurse who’s been a health teacher for five years now, fought to have the program remain a part of the middle school curriculum a couple of years back when a schedule re-organization reduced the amount of time students would spend in health class.
“When I came onboard we did do CPR in the classroom with the kids. But health got cut back — contact time. CPR got taken away,” she said.
It was troubling.
“I’m very passionate about CPR because I believe it’s a life-saving skill everybody should know,” she said.
Brainstorming with colleagues found a way to keep CPR without redesigning the whole middle school week to give kids more time in health classes — and less time for everything else.
The idea was an “in-house field trip.” Once a year, the whole eighth grade spends a whole day learning CPR and the other emergency techniques.
The school — in the fall it’s been East Ridge, in the spring Scotts Ridge — assembles all the teachers who are certified in CPR. Health teachers, physical education teachers and school nurses take part. Sometimes the fire department helps.
“Our administration, from the top down, was very supportive,” Ms. Lohse said, mentioning in particular former Assistant Superintendent Michael Hibbard, who headed curriculum the program was instituted.
“They said go ahead and do what you want,” Ms. Lohse said.
This year East Ridge is experimenting with having CPR taught, not as an all-day once-a-year program, but as part of the regular physical education classes. While a student would have health class only 23 times in 182 school days a year, physical education is scheduled every other day — 91 times.
“If it works successfully here, Scotts Ridge is going to do it,” Ms. Lohse said. “If its doesn’t work, Scotts Ridge will go back to the old way.”
There are also refresher courses at the high school, so students can keep up their skills be re-certified.
“We’re hoping they’ll continue to keep that life skill current, by taking the courses,” Ms. Lohse said. “You have to re-certify every year.”
People at the high school are supportive of the program — now more than ever.
When the girl was choking at the end of the Homecoming dance, none of the adults knew.
“We had 8 to 10 people there,” Assistant Principal Sarah Isaac said.
There were 1,200 to 1,300 kids at dance.
“This was a great dance,” she said. “We all had a great time. Kids had a great time. We didn’t know of any incident.”
Of course, if the situation hadn’t been rendered harmless through Matt’s quick action — and good training — who knows how many people’s attention it might have come to.
“From what I understand Matt acted quickly and he certainly should be commended for his quick thinking and his actions,” High School Principal Jeff Jaslow said. “We’re proud of him and thankful that he acted.”
And Matt?
“I felt pretty good,” he said. “I felt that I did something good.”
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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