Red Cross-certified WPHS students prepared for summer jobs at pools

As summer approaches and pools open, dozens of White Plains High School students are already fully prepared – and certified – to save lives.

Twenty-nine students have completed a yearlong Life Saving/First Aid/CPR course and earned American Red Cross lifeguard certification at no cost, while also gaining valuable real-world experience and employment opportunities.

Physical education teacher and Red Cross instructor John Suman said the class is designed not only to fulfill PE requirements, but also to prepare students for meaningful summer jobs and emergency situations.

“So many pools and clubs open Memorial Day weekend that we really try and time it so that they’re fully certified by May 15th,” Mr. Suman said. “That gives them time to get those certifications, get on payroll and actually start a job.”

Students who complete the course earn certifications in lifeguarding, CPR and first aid — credentials that can cost between $500 and $700 through outside programs.

“There’s no cost to them to get certified,” Mr. Suman said. “They’re getting their phys ed credit, and it helps them get a job and a skill set for the summer that can carry them through the rest of high school and into college.”

The class combines classroom instruction with extensive hands-on training in and out of the pool. Students learn how to respond to choking emergencies, cardiac arrest and water rescues while also training with automated external defibrillators, or AEDs.

On Friday, several students took part in review exercises at the high school pool, practicing rescues of swimmers in distress and demonstrating in-water emergency response techniques.

In the school gymnasium on Tuesday, students also reviewed two-person CPR scenarios.

“With two-person CPR, one person is giving compressions, the second person is giving the breaths,” Mr. Suman told the students. “The third person is going to be the one that you point to directly: ‘Call 911! Go get the AED!’”

According to the American Red Cross, drowning remains a leading cause of death for children in the United States. An estimated 4,000 people die from unintentional drowning each year — an average of 11 deaths per day — while another 22 people experience non-fatal drownings daily. 

Mr. Suman said students must pass multiple written and practical examinations to become certified.

“There’s a first aid written test, a CPR written test and a lifeguard written test,” he said. “Then the final piece is the in-water portion, where they have to demonstrate high-level in-water rescues.”

Students also must meet rigorous physical requirements before entering the certification process, including swimming 12 uninterrupted laps, treading water without using their hands for two minutes and retrieving a 10-pound brick from the bottom of the pool’s deep end.

Junior Esperanza Cylich-Schneider said the course has opened potential job opportunities for next year.

“We already have our certifications. We’re just doing additional practice,” she said, adding that she may pursue lifeguarding positions at outdoor pools or fitness centers.

Esperanza also appreciated the pace and accessibility of the course.

“It’s slow paced compared to a lifeguarding CPR class you would take outside,” she said. “It’s free, so that’s always good. You get the free certification.”

Sophomore Jaime Hernandez said the lessons extend far beyond future employment.

“The knowledge of CPR really just helps because all these people can also teach others,” Jaime said. “It spreads the amount of people who know how to save a life when they need to.”

Jaime added that he enjoyed both the instruction and the supportive atmosphere throughout the year.

“I thought it was a great class,” he said. “I really enjoyed the learning experience that we had and the teacher that we had as well.”

Mr. Suman, who renews both his lifeguard and Red Cross instructor certifications every two years, said the skills students learn can have lasting importance both inside and outside school walls.

“There are AEDs throughout the building,” he said. “We have them on the pool deck, in both gyms, in the nurses’ office and spread throughout the building.”

For students entering summer employment or simply preparing for unexpected emergencies, the course provides confidence, responsibility and the ability to make a difference when seconds matter.