YORK, Pa. - Each week, we go to our host school and ask a simple question: "What makes your school stand out?"
This week at William Penn Senior High School, after multiple attempts, the school has started a Public Safety Academy. In the class, students can learn and earn certifications in fire safety, EMT, police work and more.
Wellspan helps pave the way financially, after the program received a grant from the commonwealth as well.
Harrisburg Area Community College provides an instructor for the course. On top of that, students can earn college credit for completion of courses in the academy.
On top of all of that, a student from the academy as already saved a life.
Gabriella Beattie walked out of her home on the way to the grocery store with her mother and father in York City. On the front porch next door, her neighbor was suffering from an overdose.
Beattie reacted quickly, remembering her completed training through the academy. Upon completion, the state gave her a backpack with Narcan.
Beattie rushed upstairs, grabbed the Narcan, and with the help of her mother, saved her neighbor's life.
This one example is why the program's creators hope it continues in the decades to come.
"When I'm gray, I hope I see members from public service graduates here representing the community," Chief Michael Muldrow, head of the program, said.
For more information on William Penn Senior High School, head to their website.