MANITOULIN—Three Manitoulin Secondary School (MSS) teachers will be receiving St. John Ambulance Life Saving Awards for their response to a student at the school being seriously injured in an incident at the high school this past December.
Lisa Corbiere-Addison, Peter Kategiannis and Frank Gurney were nominated for the awards by Larry Killens, the Manitoulin trustee with the Rainbow District School Board. “With the blessing of Norm Blaseg (director of education for the Rainbow board) I nominated the three teachers because they came to the rescue of two students, one who had gone through a window at the school and had cut his wrist,” he told the Recorder.
“I nominated the three teachers because they saved the one boy’s life,” said Mr. Killens. “Our students are in very capable hands in our schools and this incident goes beyond in demonstrating this.”
Mr. Killens had received confirmation from Patricia Kearney, assistant registrar and national awards program coordinator with St. John Ambulance, that his nominations had been approved.
Ms. Kearney said, “we are presenting awards to the three teacher-staff members at MSS for using first aid, applying pressure to control bleeding to one of the students who had been cut in the incident and to both students, as both were suffering from shock.”
Ms. Kearney provided further details, explaining, “On December 2, 2014 in M’Chigeeng First Nation the three teachers used their first aid skills to save lives. Lisa Corbiere-Addison and two other teachers at a local high school rushed to the aid of two students. One student had been pushed through a plate glass window and landed on top of another student. Both students were injured in the fall, but one suffered a severe laceration to his arm and was bleeding heavily. Ms. Corbiere-Addison immediately grabbed the wounded arm and applied pressure to control bleeding. Another teacher (Mr. Kategiannis) arrived and took over pressure to the wound as Ms. Corbiere-Addison checked the second student’s injury. A third teacher (Mr. Gurney) came on the scene and provided crowd control as the students were moved to safety.”
“Working as a team they continued to monitor the students and reassure them to keep them calm and prevent shock while they waited for the transport to hospital,” said Ms. Kearney. “They are to be commended for their professionalism, quick response and knowledge and use of first aid in helping to save lives.”
“Peter Kategiannis, Lisa Corbiere-Addison and Frank Gurney will all be receiving St. John Ambulance Life Saving awards,” confirmed Ms. Kearney. The awards are scheduled to take place at the Rainbow District School Board awards night in early May.
