Mark Ferrara and Shannon Devitz present Jenna Omar a certificate on behalf of the fire chief.
Toby Gibson, wish Jenna Omar, called her actions in saving a friend’s life ‘amazing.’
The accolades are coming in for Jenna Omar, the 12-year Brookfield Middle School girl who saved her friend from choking by performing the Heimlich maneuver, dislodging a piece of breaded shrimp that was preventing Lucy from breathing.
Assistant Principal Stephanie Oyster called Jenna “a real-life superhero” in presenting her at the Oct. 18 Brookfield Board of Education meeting.
“I could not be more proud of you, for how you acted,” said Supt. Toby Gibson, who said he has known Jenna since she was a preschooler. “At your age, to keep your cool and help a friend is absolutely amazing.”
School officials presented Jenna a certificate honoring her “fearless actions” on Sept. 22.
Brookfield Trustees Shannon Devitz and Mark Ferrara presented her a certificate on behalf of Brookfield Fire Chief David Masirovits.
“Without Miss Omar’s fast-thinking actions, it is believed that Miss (Luciana) Kolat’s condition would very well have worsened,” the certificate reads.
Devitz added, “I probably wouldn’t have acted the way you did.”
School board President Ronda Bonekovic said Jenna’s actions were the talk of a recent Trumbull Career and Technical Center board meeting.
“All the school districts in Trumbull County, they wanted me to make sure that I told you that they are all so proud of you,” said Bonekovic, who is on the TCTC board. “They saw it on the news and couldn’t believe that, at your age, you acted so swiftly and saved your friend’s life.”
Jenna said her mom taught her the Heimlich maneuver. Her mom, Giniah Alhammami, said her brother, who works for the Fire Department of New York, taught her family.
