“They are simply heroes,” Adam Fine, superintendent of the East Hampton School District, said about three men who saved the life of a student on Jan. 27. The men — Donnelly McGovern, the boys varsity soccer coach, and Tom Lambert and Chris Schneider, school security guards — were honored at the school board meeting Tuesday night.
Yandell Parra was in the high school gym that night with many other students when, around 8, he experienced a serious medical event. His fellow students acted quickly, alerting Mr. McGovern, Mr. Lambert, and Mr. Schneider.
“I cannot stress the severity and complexity of the situation,” Mr. Fine said. “Due to their incredible perseverance, training, and calmness, they were able to keep the student alive until E.M.S. was able to take over.”
Yandell was at the meeting in person, along with his parents, Willmer and Lourdes Torres, and several of the students who were in the gym with him on Jan. 27.
Kathy Masterson, the district’s athletic director, also took a moment to acknowledge the effort the men made.
“We train for this in the hopes that we never have to use it,” she said, “but what these three men did that night goes beyond the pride and love that we have for what we do, and I can’t be happier to see him [Yandell] standing here.”
“We’re psyched Yandell is healthy and on the mend,” Mr. McGovern said. “I have to make mention of the boys who were there that night because without their help, going to get help, things wouldn’t have happened as quickly as they happened.”
All three men, as well as Yandell and his family, received a standing ovation from both the audience and the school board.