Ocean City High School Students Will Save Close To 900 Lives

The students at Ocean City High School learned Tuesday that saving lives isn’t only for the professionals.

About 300 students donated blood, and each one thus saved three lives, according to the American Red Cross. The blood drive has always been a huge success at the high school and was even better this year—with hundreds signed up and allowed to leave class for the good cause.

"The students that I work with are very organized and motivated, which makes it a breath of fresh air for me," said Shaun Banta, the American Red Cross representative who was assigned to the school. "I believe that out of Atlantic and Cape May County, Ocean City High School brings in the most blood. Last year they brought 246 pints."

About two weeks ago, Student Council presented an assembly with photos from previous drives, and a representative from the Red Cross spoke about the importance of donating.

The legal age for donating is 17 , but 16-year-olds are allowed to donate with parental consent. After the students were signed up, they received passes to be dismissed from class and then went to the school's auxiliary gym.

“This is a fantastic cause," student volunteer Jimmy Handshaw said. "You get to save three lives. It is illegal to sell blood in the U.S., so this is the only way for people to get it. It’s great that people donate their time and blood to a great cause.”

Blood buddies sat with donors while they were prepared to give. After donating, students were allowed to rest and regain energy with cookies and drinks. Some students donated two pints instead of one; however, only a few reached the requirements for doing so. If students donated two pints, the total time was 45 minutes for the procedure.  

When students were ready to leave, they were personally thanked by Jayne Synder, president of both Student Council and Interact Club. She was very excited about how many students helped out and donated.

"The drive has been going on for many years," Snyder said. "All the blood collected in New Jersey stays in New Jersey, so it’s nice that it is local. Kids that might not usually participate in sports or extra-curricular activities always come out for this. It’s unifying."

“It’s a lot of fun, because it is a learning experience," T.J. Heist said. "We had a lot of help from everyone, especially Alyssa Vogel, who dealt with all the paperwork. It was a team effort and totally worth it."

At the end, students were sent back to class with stickers saying they donated. They will save close to 900 lives with the donation. To find a blood drive near you, check out the American Red Cross online.