Eight graders now learn First Aid/CPR

This year eighth—grad­ers are learning First Aid and CPR as part of their health rotation in Physical Education, switching the course order of the Hock­aday’s health curriculum. Previously, sophomores have taken this course, but they now will take Managing your Fitness, the course formerly taught in the eighth grade. This curriculum change has been in progress for the past two to three years.

The main reason for the change, according to Rebekah Calhoun, Director of Health Curriculum, is that all the in­formation that the students learned in eighth grade was lost by junior year.

By completing the Man­aging your Fitness course, newly formated to be more advanced and driven towards developing individual fit­ness programs, in sophomore year, students will be better prepared for Junior Indepen­dent Study, a program which allows students to exercise on their own.

“We changed because we felt this was a more logical progression, ” Calhoun said. “I think when you look at the big picture of the curriculum, it makes a lot of sense the way we have set it up.”

After much discussion, the Health and Wellness de­partment decided that eighth graders were ready to handle the content that is covered in the First Aid and CPR course.

“Since a lot of students start babysitting, First Aid and CPR is good information to have a bit sooner,” Calhoun said.

In the First Aid and CPR course, students learn ways to handle injuries, cuts, and bruises which can be helpful while babysitting.

Freshman Sabah Shams, who took the program as an eighth grader, enjoyed it and found it to be informative.

“It’s important to be pre­pared at all times so you know what to do even if you cannot help,” Shams said.

Additionally, Melanie Horn, the physical education teacher who is in charge of the eighth grade health cur­riculum, was also in favor of the change. According to Horn, students have already reported stories of emergency situations in which their First Aid/CPR skills were of great use.

“As we say in First Aid and CPR, ‘It is better to know First Aid and not need it, than to need it and not know it,’” Horn said.

– Noor Adatia