THREE Limerick schools whose pupils have shown they have big hearts when it comes to caring for others are beginning the new academic year with an award.
Scoil Pól in Kilfinane, Coláiste Mhuire Askeaton, and Desmond College in Gortboy all received CPR 4 Schools awards from the Irish Heart Foundation which recognise schools, teachers, and students for their remarkable efforts in CPR promotion and training.
They were among 36 schools across Ireland presented with 57 awards as part of the national heart and stroke charity’s CPR 4 Schools programme.
Since its inception, 2,630 teachers in 649 post-primary schools have taken part, learning how to deliver CPR and giving the programme a reach of over 350,000 post-primary school students.
The charity aims to build a generation of lifesavers by training students to perform CPR and respond in a cardiac emergency, use an AED (defibrillator), and respond when someone is choking.
“CPR 4 Schools is a fantastic programme and in Desmond College, we take a cross-curricular whole school approach by running a ‘CPR Week’,” said teacher Aoife Culhane.
“We train over 500 young people annually in the lifesaving skill of CPR – it has become an integral part of our school calendar.
“We are proud to be in the position to instil confidence in our students and pass on invaluable knowledge to cope with a life threatening situation and potentially save lives.”
Brigid Sinnott, resuscitation manager with the Irish Heart Foundation, said the charity is delighted to recognise schools, teachers, and students.
“Every year we are blown away by the work and commitment of schools to teach the lifesaving skill of CPR.
“We know that schools are busy places but they are making CPR a priority for their students and the impact is seen in their homes and communities.
“The Irish Heart Foundation’s mission is to build a nation of lifesavers through CPR training and schools are vital in helping us to achieve that.”
Anyone who has learned CPR once is 10 times more likely to respond to an emergency than someone who has never received training.
Designed to embed within the school curriculum, the Irish Heart Foundation’s CPR 4 Schools programme is easy to run and takes just one hour to train a class.
Post-primary school teachers interested in signing up for the free programme can register by emailing [email protected]. To find out more about CPR 4 Schools, visit irishheart.ie/cpr4schools.
