After students were checked in, they visited representatives from the Anacortes Fire Department, who checked their blood pressure. A therapy dog was nearby to help ease nerves.

Then, they moved on to have a doctor listen to their heart rate with a stethoscope. Another doctor used an EKG machine to take a closer look.

Every student then went to another part of the gym, where a volunteer taught them how to use CPR. Every student had the chance to practice and learn hands-on techniques that could save someone’s life someday, volunteers said.

Medical professionals then sat down with each student to go over their test results and give them advice on what to do next.

Of the 287 students screened, five were advised to follow up with a doctor or specialist.

The Nick of Time Foundation is specifically targeted to help find children who may have a heart condition they don’t know about.

Founder Darla Varrenti created the foundation after her son Nick died of sudden cardiac arrest during a sporting event. Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes, she said.

“Before he died, you would never know by looking at him that there was something the matter with his heart,” she said. “I want parents to know that you can’t tell by looking at your kids.”

Varrenti and her sister Sue formed the Nick of Time Foundation to help inform people of the danger.

“We want to prevent another family from having to go through what we did,” she said.

One high school-age athlete dies of sudden cardiac arrest every three days in the United States, according to the foundation.

The organization focuses on Washington, but schools in 13 other states use the program to help test their own youths, she said.

Anacortes represented the 82nd screening of the Nick of Time Foundation. That adds up to about 25,000 students who have been screened for heart programs. The screenings identified almost 600 who needed follow-ups.

Now that the foundation has come to Anacortes, it probably won’t be back. The Island Hospital Foundation raised money last fall to buy two EKG machines, just like those the foundation uses, to have at the hospital.

During the screening last week, hospital staff learned more about how to use the machines and how to incorporate them into normal sports check-ups.

An EKG for a 50-year-old is not the same as an EKG for a 16-year-old, Varrenti said. This training helps doctors be ready to use the machines to screen the community here, she said.

Every student also learns how to use CPR, co-founder Sue Apodaca said. That increases the chance of saving lives if a student has a sudden cardiac arrest during a game or practice, she said.

A few years ago, a wrestling coach at a different school brought all his athletes through a screening, she said. A few months later, he had a heart attack at practice and the students used CPR to save his life.

Elise Cutter, CEO at Island Health, said she was thrilled with how the screening went. In addition to the hospital, Hospital Foundation, Fire Department and other volunteers, the Seahawks Athletic Booster Association provided snacks and coffee and took care of the volunteers, Cutter said.

“So many community partners came together to take care of the kids of our community,” she said.