Last night, the Delaware Academy of Public Safety & Security (DAPSS) celebrated a first for Delaware public schools. 98% of the current 9th grade class of 117 students were presented awards for being CPR certified — over 50 of the class were certified to the Health Professional level. Jonathan Kirch of the American Heart Association addressed the group and thanked these young leaders for stepping up to save lives.
For those who don’t know, I co-founded this school and currently serve as the Board Chair. 40% of our kids are from low-income families. The student population is split almost evenly between minority & white students as well as male/female. We are currently enrolling students for the 2012-2013 school year for 9th and 10th grade. Every cadet in addition to the standard State curriculum, is required to take spanish and chinese. We have had presentations with over 30 first responder groups and served as “patients” in a surprise emergency drill at St. Francis Hospital.
Good work we can all agree on. Nice job. The final link is making sure young people training for public service feel it’s a respected profession that pays enough to support a family.