February 11, 2026 — On a Saturday morning when most Cobb students were home spending time away from school, several students at McCleskey Middle School were back in the classroom learning life saving skills.
The school hosted its first-ever Heart of a Dragon event, where school leaders taught CPR and other important skills that could save someone's life.
"It's so important, especially in a school setting where a ton of people are there, and anything can happen," said 7th grader Mabel.
In Cobb and McCleskey's ongoing effort to support the American Heart Association, students also learned how to monitor their heart rate and how to elevate and slow it down when needed.
Practicing to the song "Stayin' Alive," students learned more about the location, pace, and proper amount of pressure and time to do chest compressions in the event of an emergency.
"It's great to see the confidence in their faces and watch the light bulb flick on when they're doing the chest compressions. They're empowered, they're seeing that they can make a difference," said McCleskey's school secretary, Melissa Carlson, who helped lead the course.
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While it was encouraging for parents and staff at McCleskey to see, it also left the students who learned feeling more confident in their abilities.
"It gives me good confidence because I know I can do it and I could be a hero," said 7th grader Aidan.
Students also learned how to use an EpiPen and received a reminder about where all potentially lifesaving equipment is throughout their school in the event of an emergency.
