Crime & Safety

Sachem School District Lunch Aide Honored For Saving Student From Choking

Hiawatha Elementary School staff member Jennifer Campanelli, a lunch aide, performed the Heimlich maneuver on a student, officials said.

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A Sachem School District lunch aide was recently honored for saving a student from choking in the cafeteria, officials said.
A Sachem School District lunch aide was recently honored for saving a student from choking in the cafeteria, officials said. (Sachem Central School District)

LAKE RONKONKOMA, NY — A Sachem School District staffer was recently lauded for saving a student from choking in the cafeteria, district officials said.

Hiawatha Elementary School lunch aid Jennifer Campanelli performed the Heimlich maneuver on a student who was choking while lining up after lunch, and the school's nurse, Catherine Nicosia, cared for the child afterward, according to the district.

District officials credited Campanelli for "her quick actions," saying that "the child was safe and able to return to classes."

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Campanelli was honored for her life-saving efforts at the Dec. 14 meeting of the Sachem Central School District Board of Education, according to officials.

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