Sean C. Morgan
The District 55 School Board on May 10 recognized Jerilyn Stone, an instructional assistant, for saving the life of Hawthorne sixth-grader Mariah Shirley recently.
The district presented a plaque to Stone at Hawthorne School.
Principal Ryan Beck said Mariah, one of the students in the school’s Pals program, “made the universal sign for ‘I’m choking.’” Stone performed the Heimlich Maneuver, and the food blocking the student’s airway popped out.
“The girl just took too big a bite, and it was stuck,” Beck said. District Nurse Jane Bubak examined Mariah, and then her mother took her to see the doctor.
“Jane wrote a letter to the School District commending (Stone) for her actions,” Beck said.
The Pals program is a self-contained life-skills classroom for developmentally disabled students, Beck said. The classroom helps children with a variety of disabilities, from autism to physical disabilities.
Assistants like Stone typically help the students get through lunch in the cafeteria to the playground, Beck said.
“We’re glad she had the training from Jane Bubak and was clearheaded enough to do what she was trained to do,” Beck said.
“Likely the child would have been severely injured or worse,” said Supt. Larry Horton.
The board also recognized Bubak, who was named Oregon School Nurse of the Year by the Oregon School Nurses Association.