Teacher hailed for saving a life Sunday, December 02, 2007 • By ANDREA EILENBERGER • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | Erich DeRemer loves watermelon, but the snack got the best of him during a classmate's birthday party earlier this month. DeRemer, 8, isn't sure what exactly happened but says the chunk of fruit got stuck in his throat. It became hard to breathe, his face turned red and his eyes started to water. "It was a scary thing," DeRemer said. He quickly headed over to teacher Amy Fontana, who jumped into action. She grabbed DeRemer, bent him over the garbage can and began the Heimlich maneuver. With one hand balled into a fist and carefully placed beneath DeRemer's breastbone and the other thumping his back, she carried out the life-saving moves she had been trained on a few years ago. The watermelon piece popped out of the boy's throat and into the garbage can. "(Fontana's) quick thinking and courage helped save the day," said Barber School Principal Raffaele LaForgia. A classroom aide had also run out of the room to get the nurse. During Monday's school board meeting, district officials honored Fontana with a certificate of recognition. They thanked her for acting so quickly and for saving one of their own. Teachers aren't required to receive Heimlich maneuver training. LaForgia said he's talked with the nurse about training all school staff members. "We have a boat so I have some training through the local power squadron," Fontana said. The Delhigh Power Squadron, which is affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard, is based in Bethlehem. She's also had CPR and defibrillator training. Fontana has been a second-grade teacher at Barber School for 13 years. This was the first time she had to use her training. She noted that children eat breakfast at school and students sometimes bring in treats for birthday parties. The day of DeRemer's scare, the students were munching on fruit salad. Students are only permitted to bring in nutritious foods for celebrations per school policy. She said the other children were quiet while she helped DeRemer then cheered when they realized he was safe. Fontana laughed as she recalled some students calling out, "Mrs. Fontana's a hero!" She said she was merely doing her job and she hopes others in her position would do the same. DeRemer's mother, Bonnie DeRemer, said the incident was jarring, but she's thankful that school officials handled it so well. "I'm just really grateful," Bonnie DeRemer said. Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.