Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, October 06, 2008

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Winburn eighth-graders used dolls to learn infant CPR, including how to dislodge a grape by inverting the choking baby and striking it repeatedly between the shoulder blades.

Like backup dancers, the row of teens moved in synch – thumping four choking infants on the back as the baby dolls dangled upside down. It was, according to eighth-grader Erieka Smith, the toughest exercise in the life-saving session.  

More than 400 students at Winburn Middle School learned the basics of CPR and the Heimlich maneuver in 90-minute classes last week. “They may not remember everything. But hopefully they’ll remember enough to keep someone alive until (a professional) gets there,” said Karen Bennett, the life skills teacher. 

P.E. teacher Susan Sallee set up the classes, provided by the Salvavidas Training Agency out of Louisville. “It’s an easy thing to schedule, and the kids learn some valuable skills,” she said. 

The Salvavidas instructors divided the kids into three groups that rotated to different stations:

• Some students took turns with partial mannequins to run through the ABC’s of CPR (airway, breathing and compressions);
• Others handled the baby dolls and also practiced the Heimlich, including how to perform the inward and upward thrusts on everyone from Mini-Me of “Austin Powers” to 7-foot-6 basketball player Yao Ming to a late-term pregnant woman;
• The third group filled out a worksheet. (Test your knowledge!)

In some sessions, Salvavidas instructors also teach students the recovery position (turning a vomiting victim on his left side to keep his airway open) and demonstrate an AED (automated external defibrillator). 

“They’re going to cram as much as they can in a short period of time and hope something sinks in,” Sallee said before Thursday’s training. 

For teenagers who babysit, the lessons definitely struck a chord. 

“A life or death situation might just pop up out of nowhere,” said Erieka, who watches after her younger cousins. “If they’re eating and start choking, you’ll know what to do.” 

Classmate Esteban Astudillo, who wants to be a doctor (or a chef), agreed. “It was worthwhile – learning to help people in a real situation,” he said after the training, held in the Winburn gym. 

“You never know when you’re the only one who knows how to do it,” Erieka added. 

Salvavidas program coordinator Maurice Witherspoon said one of his main goals is to build kids’ confidence in an emergency. “That’s what we want students to walk away with,” he said, adding, “What I always tell kids is you don’t have to be a doctor to save a life.”  

Did you know?

• The Salvavidas instructors are professional because saving lives is serious business, but they also have fun with the students. For instance, they hand out fake money for correct answers, which the kids then use to bid on prizes. An MP3 player, a digital camera and gift cards to Target, Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Wendy’s were up for grabs at Winburn Middle School.
• The Salvavidas Training Agency doesn’t charge schools for its life-saving sessions but does accept donations. Winburn collected $2 per student.
• Program coordinator Maurice Witherspoon, who said he’ll be at Tates Creek and Lafayette high schools later this semester, registers schools for training. Call (502) 296-5304 for more details.