A dozen of the seniors in Josh Procaccianti's physical education classes at the New England Laborers’/Cranston Public Schools Construction Career Academy, recently became certified in five different safety areas: first aid for adults and for children, CPR for adults and for children, and in the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED).

In order to teach his students for these certifications, Procaccianti needed to become a certified instructor himself. The students' certifications are good for two years and come just in time for summer job searches, or job searches that may extend beyond the summer.

"This will help me get a job; not all people who apply for jobs are certified," said Mercedes Douglas, a student who is looking to become a counselor in a rehabilitation setting in the future.

Procaccianti was pleased with the students' dedication to the certification process.

"They did a really nice job with it. It was a series of seven classes that they had to take in order to become certified in all five areas," he said. "For many of them it was their first time learning it and they picked it up really fast."

Although one hopes to never need to put this type of certification into action, Rafael Gutierrez knows that he's now ready, should any sort of emergency occur.

"You never know when you can use it; you never know when you can save someone's life," Gutierrez said.

NEL/CPS Executive Director Dennis Curran couldn't agree more. His opinion is based on a true lifesaving experience of his own when he was on vacation several years back and entered a pool area only to find two toddlers drowning in the pool. Both Curran and a nearby vacationer with a nursing background performed CPR on the toddlers, saving both children's lives.

"I never knew I'd be called upon," Curran said, "But it's one of the most influential things I've ever done."

According to Procaccianti, Curran was more than supportive of his endeavor and of all of the needs related to the program, including the certification cards, which are given at a fee. However, Curran feels that it is Procaccianti and his students who deserve the credit.

"Josh really took the initiative here, going out and getting certified, trained as an instructor. As a school, we're pleased that a good number of our seniors are now certified in these lifesaving techniques and can go out beyond our school and be capable to save a life if called upon," said Curran. "I fully supported Josh's endeavor and I am thrilled to see it come to fruition."