District 6 honors staff and parents after AED use saves man at McAuliffe STEM Academy
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Summary
Board recognized parents, staff and volunteers whose use of an on-site AED and CPR revived a parent who suffered sudden cardiac arrest at a school scrimmage on Feb. 25, 2025; the district credited recently purchased AEDs for the positive outcome.
Greeley-Evans School District 6 on March 24 publicly recognized parents, staff and community members whose quick action and use of a recently installed automated external defibrillator (AED) helped save the life of a parent who collapsed during a basketball scrimmage at McAuliffe STEM Academy on Feb. 25, 2025.
Superintendent Dr. Michael Pilch said the district had installed nearly 250 top-of-the-line AED units across buildings and athletic departments after a board decision last year. He introduced Jen Clark, the district’s coordinator for health services, who described the sequence: immediate recognition of cardiac arrest, activation of 911, deployment of the AED and initiation of CPR before paramedics arrived.
Dave McLarty, the survivor, addressed the board and said he was clinically unconscious for about three minutes after collapsing. "If it wasn't for the brave and immediate actions of the faculty and staff that are standing behind me, I wouldn't be standing here," McLarty said at the meeting. He also noted that survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are typically between 7 and 9 percent.
The board, Dr. Pilch and Clark thanked more than a dozen people who assisted that evening. Those named in the meeting included Michelle McNair, John Paxton, Kyla Beck, Alexis Bedell, Sumachi Smith, Justin McNichol, Ted Kane, Lucretia Green (not present), Alonzo Gallardo, Ariana Gallardo, Diana Castillo and Holly Mitchell. Clark said several of the responders had not known one another before the event and that the district’s investment in AED placement and training directly contributed to the outcome.
Why it matters: the recognition underscores the district’s recent equipment investments and staff training; Clark said every District 6 building and athletic department now has multiple AED units available. The board presented certificates to the responders during the meeting.
No formal board action was required for the recognition. The incident and the district’s equipment program were discussed during the superintendent’s honor roll item rather than as a policy vote.
