On March 7, 2019 the second blood drive of this school year took place in the auxiliary gym. Students over the age of 16 were allowed to donate blood to help a person in need.

To get your blood drawn, you had to fill out a form that needed your parent’s signature (only if you were under 18) and information to prove your age.

When you first walk in, students from Student Council give you a sticker and a water bottle that you have to drink before getting your blood drawn. Before you get a needle in your arm, professional nurses ask you questions about yourself like how tall you are, how much you weigh, where have you traveled recently, etc. Then, they test to see if your blood is good to use for other people.  If not they won’t drain your blood. The nurse pokes a thin needle in your thumb to get some blood, then runs your blood through some tests to see what blood type you are and if you have enough iron.

Some people who signed up to donate couldn’t, because either they were underweight, don’t have enough iron, recently traveled outside of the US, got a new tattoo, or even recently got a new piercing in their ear.

Once and if your nurse approves that you’re good to donate, they have you lay down on a “bed” and apply rubbing alcohol to the area where the needle is going. Once they insert the needle, the nurses tell you to try and not look at the needle just in case you begin to freak out or start feeling sick. Nurses leave the needle in for a few minutes. Once it’s taken out, they have you put your arm while holding a cotton swap to stop the bleeding. They then tell you to relax for about 20 minutes and give you a sugary snack (like cookies) before going to class.

Being there and talking to students, a lot of them were terrified, even if it was their second time participating. One senior I was talking to was really scared, stating, “This is like my third time to do this and I’m still as scared as my first time.” Others were just excited to eat the snacks that the nurses provided.

Over 62 students signed up but only 48 were able to donate. Mr. Shingler, AP World History teacher, volleyball coach and Student Council sponsor said,”That was our goal so we hit it!” They were able to collect 45 whole blood bags and 3 power reds. In general they raised 97 pints of blood which could help about 291 people.

Just by donating one pint of your blood can save 3 people lives, it can really make a difference.

If you didn’t get you chance to donate blood here at school, you can visit American Red Cross website it make in appointment.