Placer High is getting regional recognition for students’ willingness to roll up their sleeves and get to work giving blood.

With more than 500 students taking part last year, the Auburn school registered the most donors among large and medium-sized schools in the Sacramento area.

A fall blood drive at Placer last week drew 204 registered donors who gave 163 units of blood. That’s not bad during a heavy flu season, when donors have to wait two days free of influenza symptoms before they can donate, said teacher Thomas Schroeder.

Schroeder, the blood drive chairman, said Placer’s ability to step up year after year with well-attended drives relies partly on students willing to go out and ask others to give. They’re supported by an understanding base of teachers and staff, he said.

“They say the main reason people don’t give blood is because nobody asked them to,” Schroeder said.

Earlier this fall, Blood Source, a non-profit blood-drive organizer, honored Placer with an award for significant achievement in registering donors. Colfax won the award for smaller schools while Placer was the leader among medium-sized school in the Sacramento area. Placer also eclipsed totals from larger schools.

Schroeder has been organizing blood drives for 20 years at Placer High and this past month donated his own 100th unit. He estimates students have donated about 5,000 units over two decades.

“I like to give kids a chance to become lifelong donors,” he said.

Placer representatives joined other schools at a special event earlier this fall at Sacramento’s Esquire IMAX Theatre to thank students for their life-saving efforts orchestrating blood drives on campus and through blood donations.

Colfax also joined other schools in receiving awards for blood drive of the year and increasing donor participation.

BloodSource spokeswoman Meredith Chilcot said research shows that people who start donating blood in high school are far more likely to keep donating throughout their lives.

In the 2008-09 school year, Sacramento-area high schools played host to 146 blood drives and registered more than 16,000 participants.