For the second time this school year, an Auburn educator has been recognized for helping save a student who was choking.
Last fall, Auburn Junior High School Dean of Students Allison Teachout assisted a student who was choking on a cookie during lunch.
More recently, Genesee Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Holly Signor used her first aid training to help a student who swallowed a bottle cap during a field trip to the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse.
Signor said she immediately realized something was wrong when the student approached her with his hands around his throat.
“It all happened very quickly, I realized he couldn’t breathe,” she said.
Signor performed abdominal thrusts, commonly known as the Heimlich maneuver. The student soon began coughing, a sign that air was moving again, and confirmed he could breathe.
Afterward, Signor checked to make sure the student had not been injured during the rescue.
“My biggest concern was, did I hurt him in the process of doing the Heimlich or hitting his back,” she said. “Because you have to use quite a bit of force, and he’s a fourth-grade boy.”
The student became emotional after the incident, and Signor said she reassured him that the most important thing was that he was safe.
She also used the experience as a teaching moment for the other students, reminding them that their actions can have real consequences.
Genesee Elementary Principal MaryClaire Pineau praised Signor’s quick response, saying her knowledge and quick thinking are to be commended.
For her actions, Signor was presented with a “Superhero Certificate” by the Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education and administration.
Following the incident, Signor renewed her first aid certification, saying you never know when you may need to act quickly to save a life.
Christopher Sciria, Auburn Enlarged City School District Public Information Specialist.
