While the underclassmen prepped for EOC testing with a benchmark, seniors participated in a CPR class with district nurse Aaron Stone. The state now requires that all students graduating in Texas be certified to perform CPR, making the class a necessity for all of the seniors.

“The class was very interesting; I’ve always wanted to learn how to do CPR,” senior Natalie Freeman said. “We learned the basic steps in junior high, but the class didn’t really go into depth.”

At the beginning of the class, students watched a short video and took notes. The video took the students through CPR step-by-step and allowed them to see exactly where, how long and how hard to apply pressure.

“The video wasn’t that interesting, but I did learn a lot,” senior Kynlee Driskill said. “Everything I thought I knew about CPR was completely wrong.”

After taking notes, the students did what they’d learned from the video on an interactive doll. The doll made a clicking sound whenever the students were pushing in the right spot and applying the correct amount of pressure.

“We had to push really hard to make the doll click,” senior Hannah Eakin said. “The thought of applying that much pressure to someone’s chest seems crazy, but that’s what it takes to save someone’s life.”