advertisement

EKG screenings coming to Warren Township High School in honor of student who died

All students at Warren Township High School will have an opportunity to participate in Screens for Teens, a cardiac screening program, March 1 at the O'Plaine Campus and March 8 at the Almond Campus.

"We are pleased that Warren Township High School is having heart screening for all interested students in March," said Tom and Alane Church. "This screening can save lives and it just takes a few minutes to do. With the loss of our son Joshua in November, we are hoping his life can shine a bright light on how important it is to have all our kids screened. We would love volunteers to come out and help."

The event is sponsored by the Max Schewitz Foundation, which strives to provide high-quality, low-cost cardiac testing and relies extensively on volunteers to achieve its goals. The student test at WTHS costs $15 per student with free and reduced lunch students tested at no charge. Testing occurs during PE, health, drivers ed or study hall. Students without these classes at Almond can be tested during eighth period.

All families will receive the results of the screening by email; students who register by Feb. 26 for the Almond Campus screening will automatically receive a free copy of their EKG by email.

"High school is an ideal time for students to have a baseline EKG screening of the heart's function since the greatest risk of sudden cardiac death is between ages 17 and 22," said Mary Beth Schewitz, executive director of the Max Schewitz Foundation. "It is quick and painless and can detect many potentially life-threatening heart conditions."

Parent volunteers are needed to help run the screening at WTHS since the program relies on parents as the primary labor source for performing the EKGs. Parent training will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, for the O'Plaine Campus screening in the gym and March 7 at the Almond Campus in the field house. Several administrative positions need to be filled as well, which do not require training. About 75 parent volunteers are needed at each campus.

To volunteer or to register a student for the test, please visit www.heartsmartekg.org/WTHSOP for the O'Plaine Campus screening or www.heartsmartekg.org/WTHSALM for the Almond Campus screening.

Warren Township High School's O'Plaine Campus is located at 500 N. O'Plaine Road in Gurnee and the Almond Campus is located at 34090 N. Almond Road in Gurnee.

"We are extremely grateful that the Max Schewitz Foundation will be hosting the Screen for Teens events at both of our campuses," Superintendent John Ahlgrim said. "The opportunity to have screenings provided for thousands of our WTHS students is a true blessing for our parents and community."

For information about this event, call Mary Beth Schewitz, Executive Director, Max Schewitz Foundation, (847) 234-2206. To learn more about the Max Schewitz Foundation, visit www.maxandthewildthings.com or find the Foundation on Twitter or Facebook.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.