For a couple of hours last week, roles reversed at Huntington Beach High as student Sophia Centro took a turn instructing teachers, It didn’t seem weird at the moment,” said Cendro, 17, a senior. “I’m really passionate about emergency care, so it felt like what I was supposed to be doing. But looking back, I think, ‘That was kind of crazy!’”
Cendro spearheaded the Trauma for Teachers program, where staff learned skills in CPR and bleeding control. About 200 teachers and other employees attended the workshop, held on a student-free day after finals
Dan Bryan, the school’s director of student services, plays the role of a victim during a scenario with firefighter Drew Dipaola, Sophia Cendro and Rob Hendrix. Huntington Beach High School offered training called Trauma for Teachers on Monday, January 27, 2020. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)
The Huntington Beach Fire Department led the session, with support from Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Huntington Beach Hospital and the Orange County Health Care Agency. Cendro, a Huntington City Beach lifeguard, and some of her colleagues pitched in.
After a general presentation, participants scattered among classrooms to receive small-group, hands-on lessons – using mannequins and one another’s arms to practice.
The training was based on the national Stop the Bleed program, established by a group of trauma experts after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings seven years ago in Connecticut.
Hemorrhaging is a leading cause of death in the wake of accidents or violence.
“In shootings, the first responders are not allowed to enter the scene until it is declared safe,” Cendro said. “Someone with a high-pressure bleed who could otherwise survive can die within minutes. When time is of the essence, trained teachers can step in right away.”
The reality of school shootings, she said, “is always on people’s minds.” However, Cendro added, competence in stemming blood loss is more likely to be needed in other scenarios.
“I want to stress that this is not just about school violence,” she said. “It can be taken outside the classroom in the event of a car accident or a natural disaster. It’s very empowering for any situation, accidental or intentional. We now have 200 more people trained to go out into the community and save lives.”
An avid swimmer, Cendro grew up on the beach. In middle school, she joined junior lifeguards – where she developed her enthusiasm for emergency preparedness. She became a part-time lifeguard two summers ago.
Cendro’s job has yet to require her CPR expertise, although it regularly offers the reward of assisting a struggling swimmer.
“Eighty percent of rescues at Huntington Beach are due to rip currents,” she said. “I’ve rescued people of all ages from all over the world. I love it.”
Not surprisingly, she wants to go into a medical field focused on emergency care. “I’m not sure yet what career path I will take,” said Cendro, who is busily applying to universities.
Confident and outgoing, Cendro may seem like the type to lead student government and captain a sports team. But, she said without apology, “I’m not really involved in extracurricular activities. I spend my after-school hours at the beach working. But I love it so much that it doesn’t feel like a job.”
Cendro began planning the Trauma for Teachers event in the spring of her junior year. With the help of teacher Rose Haunreiter, she secured a $5,000 grant from the Huntington Beach High School Foundation to cover bleeding-control kits.
Medical supplier North America Rescue provided 140 kits at a discount. Each includes a tourniquet, gloves, gauze, and scissors.
“None of it has an expiration date,” Cendro noted, “so there will be no additional costs over the years.”
Teachers have raved about the workshop, said Dan Bryan, director of student services for the district.
“Sophia did a fantastic job working with the principal (Danny Morris) to get this training off the ground,” he said. “Administrators and classified staff members will continue this training moving forward.”
Cendro agreed that the first should not be the last: “Hopefully, teachers won’t have to use these techniques often, so they will need to refresh their skills. Trauma for Teachers should keep going here – and spread to other districts and counties. My plan is for it to reach schools on a grand scale.”
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