Milton Hershey School Student Honored with American Heart Association Award for Saving a Life

Milton Hershey School (MHS) high school student Randy Gibson recently was awarded with the Heartsaver Hero Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) for his efforts in saving the life of another person.
Randy is honored for springing into action and performing cardiac resuscitation until medical personnel arrived when MHS Houseparent Jim Smith suffered a heart attack while running on the Milton Hershey School campus. Randy learned CPR with AED training in his 10th-grade health class. The class teaches students the necessary skills to assist in performing life-saving measures.

“I was just really calm and did what I remembered from class. It was all very surreal because I couldn’t believe I had done something like that. I just never imagined I would save someone’s life,” Randy said.

Each MHS student is given the opportunity to become certified in CPR in 10th-grade. Thanks to the school’s commitment to providing students with necessary life skills and Randy’s quick actions, Smith’s life was saved.

Featured

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.

  • University of Illinois Moves Forward with College Sports’ Largest Digital Scoreboard

    The University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., recently announced a series of upgrades to Gies Memorial Stadium that will include the largest scoreboard in college sports, according to a news release.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.