A slightly embarrassed young man stood in front of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly Monday night to accept a proclamation honoring him for helping a fellow student who was choking on a carrot.
According to the proclamation read by Borough Mayor Dave Kiffer, 12-year-old Griffin Effenberger was returning to class after lunch on Feb. 6th, when he noticed the student in distress. Here’s a portion of the proclamation:
“And whereas Effenberger first tried to give the student a smack on the back; and when that didn’t work, Effenberger employed the Heimlich Maneuver to successfully dislodge the carrot from the grateful classmate; and whereas Effenberger learned this technique in third-grade health studies with Mrs. Paulsen, in a class instructed by South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department volunteer Heidi Bauer; therefore; I, Dave Kiffer, on behalf of the citizens of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, do hereby recognize Griffin Effenberger for his heroic efforts, and commend the Ketchikan School District and the South Tongass Fire Department for their efforts to educate our students about first aid.”
Effenberger, who attends Fawn Mountain Elementary School, also received a certificate from the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department, thanking him for paying attention in class.
