A little over a month after a custodian at Guiteras Elementary School made headlines for saving a choking student during lunch, a teaching assistant at Hugh Cole Elementary School in Warren did the same.

Bonnie Dion, who has been a TA at Hugh Cole going on nine years, was in the right place at the right time on Wednesday, Dec. 7 when she noticed a student under duress.

“It happened in the lunch room. I was just walking around and keeping an eye on things,” Dion said in a recent interview. “I took one look at her and I could tell she was choking, because she couldn’t say anything.”

Dion, a Rehoboth, Mass. resident who has taken classes on how to properly administer the Heimlich maneuver, sprang into action to try and clear the student’s airway.

“It didn’t work the first couple of times so I gave her a little jolt and it came out,” she said. “Usually the first time it comes out and it’s good, but this time it took like three.”

Some of Dion’s colleagues were eager to reach out and share their thoughts on Dion — none of whom were surprised that she was the one to react quickly and help the student.

“Bonnie just took off,” said Robin Shaw, a fellow TA who has worked with Bonnie at Hugh Cole for many years and saw the incident happen in the lunch room. “She flew. And she got over there. She did two thrusts, looked at me and asked if it was out. I said not yet. And she just gave it her all. Whatever it was popped out and I saw such a relief on both their faces.”

“Bonnie is one of the most reliable, responsible and respected employees in the school,” said Trish Minnella, a kindergarten teacher at Hugh Cole. “She’s firm, yet friendly and fun. She knows the name of every single student in this building and has developed a positive connection with each and every one. She is like the Energizer Bunny, not only doing her own job but going above and beyond on a daily basis wherever she is needed. Bonnie has always put the students first and that is evident in the way they all admire her.”

“Bonnie is a wonderful person,” said MaryLou Defreitas, another kindergarten teacher. “She’s not only been my coworker for many years, she has become a close friend. Not only does she build great relationships with all the students she sees, she also loves each one of them like her own. She is also a very hard worker and is always there when you need her and I can’t imagine Hugh Cole without her.”

Hugh Cole Principal Colin Grimsey happened to walk into the room while the interview was going on, and felt compelled to add his thoughts about Dion.

“It’s quite a thing that she did,” he said. “I would say that every school has that go-to person, and Bonnie is that for us. She is really the heart and soul of the school and does so much for us. It was no surprise to me that she was the one to step forward so quickly and save that student’s life. We’re just very happy and pleased and proud to have her on the team and so relieved and grateful everything turned out okay.”

But if you’re to ask Dion about whether or not what she did constitutes a so-called “heroic act,” she’ll be the first to downplay it.

“It’s my job to do it, and I’m supposed to keep the kids safe, so it’s just part of the job,” she said. “I don’t think I’m a hero, just someone doing their job.”

Dion encouraged anyone reading this piece to consider taking a course on how to assist someone who is choking.

"I think everybody should learn it, so that just in case something happens, you’re prepared," she said.