The quick actions of (from left) teachers Carolyn Sullivan and Eva Cerverizzo and school social worker Shirley Gavidia of Staten Island’s PS 10 saved the life of a 2nd-grader.
Educators faithfully complete their CPR and emergency response training to ensure they’re ready to handle any kind of emergency in the classroom — and then hope they’ll never need to deploy those skills in a real crisis.
But school social worker Shirley Gavidia and 2nd-grade teachers Eva Cerverizzo and Carolyn Sullivan of PS 10 on Staten Island found themselves having to do exactly that earlier this school year.
Gavidia was in her office, across the hall from the 2nd-grade classroom, and Cerverizzo was in the hall testing a student when they heard Sullivan calling for help: A student had stopped breathing and lost consciousness.
The three swung into action. Sullivan gathered the child into her arms and asked a colleague to call the school nurse. Cerverizzo immediately led the other students out of the room and dialed 911. Gavidia, a member of the school’s “Code Blue” team, which receives frequent emergency training and CPR refreshers, sped into the room and assessed the student for breathing and a heartbeat. “I laid the child on the floor and started CPR,” said Gavidia. “She revived after — well, it felt like forever, but it was probably a matter of seconds.”
The child gasped awake, and the teachers comforted her while waiting for the nurse. The child lost consciousness again, and Gavidia restarted CPR. The child then revived for the second time just as the nurse and the ambulance arrived.
Colleagues praised Gavidia’s cool head in the crisis. “I don’t know where I went,” Gavidia said, describing her state of mind as a somewhat out-of-body experience. However, as a school social worker and a member of the school’s crisis team, Gavidia said she knew she had to stay calm for the child’s sake. She also credits her school’s Code Blue drills for their fast response. “Training was vital” to the quick action, she said. “I’m very proud of our whole team who just jumped into action.”
Chapter Leader Kathleen Centrone applauded her members’ dedication and commitment to all facets of their students’ well-being. “We feed them, we clothe them,” she said, “and sometimes, we save their lives.”