Southborough Wicked Local reported some news Algonquin can be proud of on Friday:
Earlier this month, following [Suzy] Green’s efforts, Algonquin became the second school in the state to earn the certification, which requires school committees to adopt policies making in-school CPR training a graduation requirement.
You may be familiar with Suzy Green as the mother of Eric Green. In 2012, our community was shocked and saddened by the seventh grader’s sudden death.
According to the article, Eric’s death was the result of an undiagnosed heart condition. Helping others avoid the same grief has become a mission for the Green family:
In the three years since Eric’s death, Green and her husband have been working to reduce the chances of other parents having to go through their pain. They are pushing one Boston hospital to make full heart tests standard procedures for children who experience seizures – something that was not done when their son experienced minor seizures prior to his death.
Green also joined a local advocacy committee of the American Heart Association, where she learned about its new effort to certify local schools as “CPR Smart.”
It’s not surprising the school was receptive to the efforts. The school has already been teaching CPR to students for decades:
At Algonquin – which has taught a CPR course for about 40 years – administrators wholeheartedly embraced Green’s pitch.
“Simply put: it saves lives,” said Brian Mawson, chairman of the Health and Fitness Department. “It might end up the most important content they get in their high school career.”
In addition to the CPR training, the school has multiple AEDs that it trains students to use.
But Green doesn’t plan to stop at our high school:
“She is moving on to the next school district,” [Allyson Perron of the American Heart Association] noted. “She’s really turning a personal tragedy into somebody else’s triumph. She shows an amazing sense of courage and grace when she shares her story.”
For the full article, click here.
