Bay Shore security guard honored for saving choking student

A Bay Shore Middle School security guard is being recognized for helping save a student who began choking during lunch earlier this year.

Meredith Wendt, 52, of Bay Shore, was monitoring the cafeteria in late January when she noticed a boy in distress after eating a chip topped with taco meat. She quickly intervened, ultimately dislodging the food by delivering back blows and performing the Heimlich maneuver, she said.

Wendt, who has been a security guard at the school for three years, after a 30-year career as a surgical nurse in private practice, was honored by the Bay Shore Union Free School District’s Board of Education in March for her actions. She was also recognized during a staff meeting at the school, she said.

“I had just walked up and down the aisle checking on the kids, and when I got back to the head of the cafeteria I noticed a student had kind of turned down and put his hands near his throat,” Wendt said. “He went to go toward the garbage can, and I immediately knew he was in distress. I walked over to him and asked if he was OK, and he shook his head ‘no’ and made a choking motion.”

Wendt said she radioed for a school nurse before instructing the student to brace himself by putting his hands on the garbage can while she delivered several blows to his back in an attempt to clear the obstruction. The first round of blows didn’t dislodge the item and the boy motioned that he was still choking, she said.

Wendt said she then “leaned into” the boy and told him that she was going to put her arms around him and perform the Heimlich maneuver. When that failed, she repeated the back blows before performing the Heimlich a second time, she said.

This time, nearly two minutes after she first saw the boy choking, the food came loose. The boy, whom school officials declined to identify for privacy reasons, was then evaluated by a school nurse who said he was unharmed, Wendt said.

“It was like fight or flight; I just knew what to do and my instincts kicked in,” she said. “I think my experiences as a surgical nurse helped me.”

Bay Shore Middle School Principal Duncan MacDougal praised Wendt’s response and her dedication to students.

“Meredith represents the very best of Bay Shore,” he said. “She cares for every student who walks our hallways as if they were her own, and we are incredibly grateful to have her as part of the Bay Shore family.”  

Nominate a Long Islander who goes above and beyond or serves as an inspiration to their community. Send details and photograph to Michael Ebert, michael.ebert@newsday.com(photos should be high-resolution). Photos may be used in other publications affiliated with Newsday.

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.