Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2015, Page 58

Description:	IIystand outWhat have you been doing to keep up in yourclasses as the year is coming to an end?{(l have had to put a lot of stress on myselfbecause the teachers are more laid back atSouth than they were in middle school.Ive also had to check Skyward a lot andtalk to my teachers to make sure I waskeeping my grades up. Jy-freshman Abigail Kawanishi{{l make it a priority to get all mywork done as soon as I get homefrom practice so I can keep up. yy-freshman Caleb Miller:?rgflB bl^^3B«oHB»i\|fjtv- -^- ■■!-• -n irfhow to <?ai/<? a lifeThe lifeguarding class has become very popular in recent years, and many students now have an interest in getting a job.Imagine a first job that is not aboutbagging groceries or collecting tips-its about saving lives. Its not adoctor, an EMT, or a nurse - its alifeguard. Students at BloomingtonHigh School South have the uniqueopportunity to become certifiedlifeguards through a class taught byMs. Meg Montgomery.It is very unusual for a highschool to offer such a class, butMontgomery is dedicated andpassionate about teaching studentsthe art of life saving. South hasoffered the class for six school yearsand has seen nearly 150 people gothe class have an interest inobtaining a job at one of the manylocal pools. About 50-60% of thestudents that go through the courseget a job at around the community,Montgomery said. About 20% ofthose keep their jobs after they leavehigh school and into their collegecareers. While it can be difficult toobtain a job at the pools with all ofthe competition from collegestudents, South students have asuccessful track record for findingemployment at the IU Outdoor Pool,Bryan Park Pool, and the YMCA.Sophomore Caden Pettaythrough the program. Montgomery enrolled in lifeguarding this year anddecided to offer the course to givestudents a chance to get theircertifications in a timely way thatdoes not interfere with theirschedules.Many of the students who takethought it was one of the moredifficult classes hes taken duringhis high school career. The coursecovers everything from first aid totreatment for victims with spinalinjuries. Pettay said he learned allof the different things necessary toproperly treat the victims. Pettaymastered the irreplacable skillsneeded to be a first responder ifnecessary. Lifeguards are the firstpeople to provide care for peoplewho are suffering from a variety ofhealth issues, Pettay said.Pettay graduated the classready for the responsibility andapplied for several jobs. I alreadyhave an internship here at South fornext year, Pettay said. Theinternship will include guarding thepool during Montgomerys gymclasses.Each year, Bloomington areapools are made safer thanks tolifeguards trained at South. It was alot of hard work, but I know my jobwill be very rewarding, Pettay said.-EMILY ARVIN£j58 ACADEMICS
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/8891
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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