Science and PE Join Forces in Sports Physiology Class
One, two, three, four, five. Five compressions and two breaths. This is the procedure for saving the life of an unconscious victim. On April 26th and 27th, Mr. John Sparacio, Director of Physical Education, Health, Recreation and Athletics, took the opportunity, as well as the time out of his busy schedule, to reconnect with North Babylon High School students in a classroom setting instead of on the field. These two sessions were actually held in the wrestling gym, where large circles already decorating the mats served as home base for the students in Mrs. Paino's 8th period Sports Physiology class.
Each day students would take their places with two other classmates and a mannequin to practice the techniques they would soon learn could be life saving and life changing. Through the telling of real-life, pertinent stories, Mr. Sparacio stressed the importance of being prepared to act as a good Samaritan in the event of an emergency. On the first day, he spoke about assessing the situation at hand and the importance of promptly calling 911. He also talked about how to utilize the "Look, Listen and Feel" method; that is, look for the victim's chest cavity expansion, listen for breathing, and feel for a pulse. He then demonstrated with our student volunteer Nick how to perform the Heimlich maneuver using fist thrusts and back blows.
Day two consisted of practicing the correct CPR method needed to restore a pulse and breathing, including where to place the responder's hands and exactly how deep the compressions should be (1.5 to 2 inches). The students also examined an AED in the event a victim has suffered a heart attack. The class was made aware that several of these machines are located throughout the building as well as in many public forums. Sports Physiology student Anthony stated that the second day was "tiring and very helpful...because the chest compressions were a lot, 30 of them in 18 seconds. My group did it twice and my muscles were hurting." Nick reflected that he "learned to step up when someone is down and not to look the other way." A third Sports Physiology student, Michael, commented that "this demontration helped me personally because I will be working at a camp over the summer with kids ages 5-12 and if anyone goes down, I will know what to do." Although the students did not leave the two-day class certified in CPR, they certainly did take with them the essential knowledge to play a vital role in the life of another, thanks to Mr. Sporacio.
By Elisa Paino
