May 22, 2026
By MEALAND RAGLAND-HUDGINS
Rutherford County Schools
Rutherford County Schools fifth grade students leave elementary school equipped to perform Hands-Only CPR.
While schools were closed for Election Day on May 5, Wilson Elementary School student Norah Ward used what she learned in a 40-minute lesson to save someone’s life.
Ward was visiting her grandmother at an area senior living facility when another resident suffered cardiac arrest. The 11-year-old used her grandmother’s phone to call 911.
“There were two ladies (nearby) and they asked if anyone knew how to do CPR. I said ‘I do’ but nobody else did,” Ward explained.
The women helped place the resident on the floor and Ward began compressions until emergency responders arrived.
“I was scared and confident at the same time,” Ward said.
Not long after, Agia Ward entered the room and witnessed her daughter in action.
“I had no idea she knew what to do. I’ve spoken to my friends and my family and it’s something we all want to learn together,” the mother said. “I’m just so proud of her.”
The resident went on to make a full recovery.
During Wilson Elementary’s fifth grade awards on Friday, Norah was presented with the Courage Award.
The timing of Hands-Only CPR lessons varies by school. School nurse Keisha Newport led Wilson Elementary’s training in early December.
Initiated in 2013 by district School Nursing Coordinator Dr. Shanna Groom, Hands-Only CPR consists of two steps – calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives. Students are encouraged to use up-tempo songs like “Baby Shark” to keep the proper pace for compressions.
During training, Newport shares how her father died after suffering a heart attack while pumping gas. She also talks about Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsing during a Monday Night Football game in 2023 and the swift actions that saved his life.
“I always want to make sure they have a positive story so that they aren’t scared when the moment happens,” Newport said. “Now we get to share that one of our own students did it and that others can, too.”
Ward's mother thanked Newport for providing the training and asked her to "never stop teaching it."
Earlier this year, the Tennessee Titans and American Heart Association donated 200 inflatable manakins to Rutherford County Schools for Hands-Only CPR instruction. Students at Wilson Elementary were among the first to use them.