VINCENNES– A Vincennes Community School Corporation teacher was recently honored with a Certificate of Heroism after she performed the Heimlich maneuver to save a choking student earlier this spring.
Renea Wild, who is only in her second year of teaching, recounted the nerve-wracking moment when a student entered her classroom suddenly choking on a pencil. At first, she didn’t know what was wrong, but then she looked in his throat, saw the pencil, and did the Heimlich maneuver.
Wild credited her college training with equipping her with the life-saving technique. She stated, “We got the training, but you never think that’s going to be part of your day… It’s my job. I mean, as a teacher, you wear a lot of different hats, and Heimlich maneuver was my hat that day,” she explained.
Vincennes City Fire Chief Bret Bobe presented Wild with a Certificate of Heroism following the incident.
Wild also shared that the experience has bolstered her confidence in handling emergencies in the classroom, emphasizing the need for quick reactions in her profession.
