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Warsaw Community Schools enhances AED access with Avive – driven by one nurse’s lifesaving experience and lasting commitment.
At Warsaw Community Schools in Indiana, protecting students goes far beyond the classroom – and for Tracey Akers, it’s personal.
Tracey has spent nearly two decades as a school nurse, and today she serves as the district’s Welcome Center Coordinator. Her days are spent guiding new families through enrollment, connecting them with vital resources like food, housing, and healthcare, and now, leading a life-saving initiative: the deployment of 20 Avive Connect AED®s across the district.
It’s a mission rooted in experience.
Ten years prior, a student went into Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) on campus. Tracey was the nurse on duty. The student’s teacher was unaware of where the nearest AED was located. But in that critical moment, another student jumped into action and retrieved the device. Tracey administered CPR and used the AED — saving that child’s life. He is alive and well today.
That day forever changed the way Warsaw Community Schools approached emergency preparedness. The district knew it had to do more. With 12 schools: eight elementary, two middle, one high school, and one alternative school serving around 7,000 students and supported by 1,000 faculty, the need for consistent, accessible AED coverage became clear. Previously, schools had one or two AEDs, with four stationed at the high school. Monthly checks were handled by nurses, but the system lacked cohesion.
That’s when Tracey discovered Avive.
She met the Avive team at a school nurse conference and was immediately drawn in, not just by the device’s portable design, but by its thoughtful features. It spoke to the real-world needs of a school environment: simple, clear verbal and visual prompts, a Spanish-language button to support the district’s large Hispanic population, and universal pads that work for both adults and children. Most of all, she appreciated the fully automatic function: no second-guessing when a life is on the line.
Now, Tracey oversees the district’s entire AED program through Avive’s REALConnect™ Dashboard, giving her a real-time look at every device’s status across all campuses. She manages training, shares updates with nurses and faculty, and ensures that every team member knows where the AEDs are and how to use them.
Avive AEDs have been deployed at both middle schools, the high school, and the alternative school. The elementary schools are also covered with other AEDs, and the district is prioritizing more mobile Avive units for schools with active athletic programs. Athletic trainers now bring AEDs directly to games and practices, ensuring that help is never far away.
A high majority of faculty members are CPR certified, and a training video specifically for the Avive AEDs has been shared with staff. Instructors are even using Avive’s training cartridges to practice with the real device so that when seconds matter most, no one hesitates.
Warsaw Community Schools is also working toward Heart Safe certification through Project ADAM, a national initiative to ensure schools are prepared to respond to cardiac emergencies. For Tracey, it’s not about checking boxes; it’s about giving every student and staff member the best possible chance in an unthinkable moment.