SAWMILL INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

A quick-thinking school monitor became a hometown hero on Monday when she performed the Heimlich maneuver to save a choking third grader at Sawmill Intermediate.

Rhonda Vladimir, who has been a monitor at Sawmill since 2016, spotted a student signaling he was choking.

Vladimir dislodged a piece of cheese and saved the student’s life.

“The adrenaline kicked in, the training worked and I just thought about the child and did the Heimlich maneuver,” said Vladimir, a Northport resident with grown children. “And thankfully he was fine.

“I’m so thrilled to be able to help.”

Commack staff, including monitors, undergo annual training to prevent instances of choking.

Commack Schools added LifeVac anti-choking devices throughout the district earlier this year, although Vladimir did not rely on the device in this instance.

It marks the second time this calendar year that an alert lunch monitor saved a child’s life in Commack schools.

Last spring, Wood Park monitor Francesca Augello performed the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge pizza from the throat of a choking second grader. 

“We are grateful Rhonda acted quickly and that the student knew the universal sign for choking,” Sawmill assistant principal Evelyn Cárdenas said. “They both need to be recognized for their bravery.”