Monroe students learn Heimlich maneuver

James Monroe Elementary School’s Walking Club received a special treat Monday beyond its regular morning routine. School district nurses Lisa Cruz-Avalos and Giana Toschi worked with members of the club on how to recognize the signs of a person choking and how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

The first-aid maneuver can dislodge an object from a person’s windpipe.

The lesson was for Walking Club members in grades four through six and included a classroom video. Afterward, the students went outside where the nurses reinforced the information learned in the classroom and video.

The nurses then used a special Heimlich Hero choking doll. When a student performed the maneuver in the proper and a successful manner a piece of candy popped out of the doll’s mouth...