On Monday morning, Nov. 7, a custodial worker suffered a severe medical emergency in Yorktown at the Mildred E. Strang Middle School, according to school district spokesperson Brian Marschhauser.
Upon seeing the medical emergency, two members of the school's Aramark food service team, Kimberly Kleiber and Nancy Rizzo, immediately called for help, while school nurse Jena McLaughlin provided medical assistance until emergency responders arrived at the school, Marschhauser said.
Additionally, the school's administrators made the quick decision to activate emergency response procedures in order to limit movement in the building and allow first responders to easily reach the patient, according to Marschhauser.
Thanks to the quick actions of Kleiber, Rizzo, and McLaughlin, the custodial worker is recovering from her medical emergency, Marschhauser said.
The trio was recognized at a Board of Education meeting on Monday, Dec. 5, and awarded certificates and flower bouquets.
"The heroism that Kim, Nancy, and Jena displayed in a most stressful situation is being recognized here this evening," aid Yorktown Central School District Superintendent Ron Hattar at the meeting. "Please know that the certificate is meaningful, but it only is a symbol of the lifesaving and heroic actions that you took that morning to help another human being. We are so grateful to you. The family is grateful to you. And as a school district, we say thank you."
The three women also received angels made by students of the middle school.
The middle school's principal, Marie Horowitz, had only praise for the three employees.
"These three ladies, after saving helping to save a colleague’s life, immediately went back and said I need to serve my kids. And Jena went right back into the nurse’s office to deal with stomach aches. I am so proud of them. We are so blessed to have you in the Strang family," Horowitz said.
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