The American Heart Association (AHA) recognized Algonquin as the second school in the Commonwealth and the first school in central Massachusetts to be designated a CPR SMART school in May.

On May 13, a ceremony in the CRC celebrated Algonquin’s designation as a CPR SMART school.  Speakers and those in attendance included Health and Fitness Chairperson Brian Mawson, parent and AHA Central Massachusetts Advocacy Committee member Suzanne Green, Principal Tom Mead, Superintendent Christine Johnson, MA Representative Danielle Gregoire, Northborough Fire Chief David Durgin, and AHA Senior Government Relations Director Allyson Perron.

The school’s commitment to provide instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) allowed the school to receive the CPR SMART designation.

“For almost 40 years, CPR and first aid have been a part of the Algonquin Health and Fitness curriculum,” Mawson said.  “CPR and first aid are a priority for us because, simply put, they save lives.”

Green brought to the attention of Mawson that Algonquin met all of the requirements to be certified by the AHA.

“I became involved with the [AHA] after my youngest son, Eric, passed away in the middle of the night because of an undiagnosed cardiac condition,” Green said.  “If this had happened during the day, CPR may have saved his life.”

According to the AHA, nearly 350,000 people suffer from sudden cardiac arrest in the United States each year.  Their best chance of survival is properly administered CPR and defibrillation within three to five minutes of a cardiac event.  Chances of survival drop significantly after that period.

Massachusetts state law does not require that schools teach their students CPR or that they have AEDs.

The Northborough and Southborough school systems, nonetheless,  take the possibility of cardiac arrest very seriously.  Each school in both towns has at least one AED, a device that analyzes the heart’s rhythm and, if needed, administers an electric shock to re-establish a proper heartbeat and resuscitate a heart failure victim.  Algonquin has four such devices.

Algonquin will be recognized for its proactive policies related to CPR in a ceremony at the State House later this year.

“Sudden cardiac arrest could happen any time, anywhere, and to anyone,” Perron said.  “[Algonquin has and] will put hundreds of qualified lifesavers in our community year after year.”