Washington Center Miracle Workers
Three Washington Center staff members – Carey Reichardt, Nardia Lloyd, and Maxine Brown - were presented Miracle Worker Awards by the GCS School Board in recognition of saving a student’s life. Board members Derek Lewis, Dr. Crystal Ball O’Connor, Danna Rohleder, and Chuck Saylors honored the teachers for their quick actions when a student choked on a piece of pepperoni while on a field trip to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The student turned blue, the food could not be dislodged, and he stopped breathing. Cary Reichardt, class paraprofessional, initially sounded the alarm and attempted the Heimlich maneuver. Teacher Nardia Lloyd and school nurse Maxine Brown immediately performed CPR, dislodging the pepperoni and restoring the student’s breathing.
“You hear a lot about the training teachers receive, and all the certifications they are required to have, and you know they are certified in CPR, but you also know there’s a difference between being certified and being able to act in that moment. It’s so incredible to see folks who know immediately what they need to do and do it,” said Trustee Derek Lewis. “As a parent, it is very comforting to know that we have staffed our schools with people who know what they need to do and are trained well, and that they are able to act on that training.”
Thanks to these heroes’ lifesaving actions, the student soon returned to school, where he is described as a “cute and very loved young man.”