Daniel Slatkavitz '24 Featured on WBZ TV for his Heroic Act

Daniel Slatkavitz ’24 was recently featured on WBZ news along with Belmont Hill science teacher Ruth Sweeney to reflect on an incident from the past spring where Daniel used CPR skills learned at Belmont Hill to save a boy’s life during a basketball practice.

During the segment, Daniel explained how a player collapsed on the court. Using skills he learned in Mrs. Sweeney’s AP biology class, he sprung into action. "I just started pumping the chest," Daniel said. He continued giving chest compressions until first responders arrived. Andover police officer Dylan Ring, first to arrive, was impressed with Daniel’s skills. "His technique was great. He was really poised. That's what really saved this kid's life. He was someone that was able to step up in the moment. There was only one of me and you need two people to do some good CPR and get an AED on somebody, so it was really helpful to have somebody who actually knew what to do," Ring said. 

The boys was breathing by the time he was taken from the gym, and Daniel reports he’s now doing well. Mrs. Sweeney expressed her pride in Daniel’s heroic act. “I cried,” she explained. “It’s impressive. We’ve all been trained. It’s different to know how to do it and then actually do it, and I think that’s what blew me away.”

Daniel also expressed his gratitude for Mrs. Sweeney’s instruction. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been able to step in to do what I did. I am just thankful I was there. If you have the opportunity to learn CPR. It's really simple and doesn't take a lot of your time. It's an essential skill. You never know when you have to use it. It could be one of your friends.”

You can watch the WBZ segment by following this link.