Huntley High Named Founding School Of New Student-Led CPR Movement

HUNTLEY, IL — Huntley High School students are being asked to take on a role that goes beyond learning how to perform CPR: being ready to act when an emergency happens.

Huntley High School is becoming only the second Founding School of the CPR Ready Generation, a new student-led movement focused on closing the gap between being trained in CPR and actually feeling prepared to respond during a cardiac emergency.

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The school will be formally recognized as a Founding School during the Huntley Community School District 158 Board of Education meeting Thursday.

The movement also will have a student-focused launch Friday during halftime of the Huntley High School varsity football game, according to a news release.

But CPR Ready Generation isn't a CPR training or certification program, according to Shelly Amato, who is involved with the initiative.

Instead, the organization is building on CPR education and training already provided by schools and other organizations and asking a different question: When something actually happens, will students be willing to step in?

That could mean performing CPR, but it doesn't necessarily require a student to be CPR-certified.

A student who calls 911, finds an automated external defibrillator, gets a teacher or coach or finds someone who knows CPR also is taking action, Amato said.

The movement's message to students is simple: "You don't have to know everything to do something."

Students will help lead the movement

Huntley is not simply participating in the program. Its students are among the first students being asked to help shape and lead the movement.

Participating schools identify students who want to take ownership of the initiative and encourage their peers to get involved. Students could start conversations, create social media content, organize events and eventually serve as ambassadors and mentors as the movement expands.

"Every student can step in," Amato said.

The goal is to make emergency readiness visible among students and encourage them to see themselves as having a role when someone needs help.

Why create the movement?

The idea grew out of conversations about the difference between being trained and actually feeling ready to respond.

Earlier this year, a student at Naperville Central High School raised questions about how realistic CPR training felt, Amato said. Those conversations eventually contributed to Illinois legislation, House Bill 4788, while also prompting a broader question about how to help young people become not just trained, but ready to act.

Huntley High School embraced that idea and saw an opportunity for students to take a leadership role, Amato said.

The movement also comes as Illinois and schools around the country continue to expand CPR education and access to automated external defibrillators.

"We want to build on that work, not replace it," Amato said.

What's happening at Huntley?

The school will receive its Founding School Certificate during Thursday's District 158 board meeting.

On Friday, CPR Ready Generation representatives will be at Huntley's varsity football game for a student-focused launch during halftime. The organization plans to meet with students, distribute promotional gear and conduct interviews as students officially begin taking ownership of the movement.

The organization said it hopes Huntley's student leaders will help bring the message to their classmates and eventually mentor other students as the movement expands.