A little over a week ago on Monday, December 11, a first grader at Suncrest Elementary School was going through the lunch line when the cafeteria supervisors noticed something wasn’t quite right with the little girl.
“Our food service people noticed this little girl wasn’t her usual self,” said Community Schools of Frankfort Superintendent Don DeWeese. “They interacted with her for a second. All at once, the little girl leaned up against the wall and they knew something was wrong. They notified the other two of the staff members who were supervising in the dining room and they very quickly assessed the girl was in trouble health wise. They walked her down to the nurse’s office. The nurse took a quick glance and noticed that something serious was happening and instructed them to call 911.”
DeWeese said first responders and EMTs were on the scene almost immediately. The girl was transported to Witham Hospital in Lebanon and then later to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis where she spent the night. The girl was released the following day and visited Suncrest on Wednesday to thank everyone for their efforts.
DeWeese said he was extremely proud of the staff for the way they handled the situation.
Suncrest Principal Stephanie West said her staff, along with emergency personnel, had everything under control in a short period of time.
“It just kind of reiterates what we say about teamwork,” said West. “We all have a job to do and we’re all here for the kids.It went very smooth if you can call a situation like that smooth. The paramedics responded quickly and the whole time period was less than 20 minutes.”
Besides herself, West said other staff members who assisted were assistant principal Stacey Bowen, secretary Buffy Smith, nurse Sue DeWeese, teacher Sarah Mareska, teacher aide Candace Oppelt and cafeteria worker Deb Barrett.