By ANNE KLOCKENKEMPER
Staff Writer
NORTH PORT -- Shari Michniewicz, a fifth-grader at Glenallen Elementary School, was walking home from school April 27 near the Narramore ballfields when fellow fifth-grader Michael Anderson fell and cut his left wrist on broken glass from a vase he was carrying.
Shari quickly sent another student to grab tissues from the park restroom.
"I had to hold all the tissue on his hand, and then the crossing guard called an ambulance," she said.
North Port Fire Chief Bill Taaffe said Shari, 12, didn't hesitate to jump in and apply pressure to the wound.
"Some adults wouldn't even do that," he said.
North Port's first responders honored Shari during a surprise "safety presentation" assembly with the other fifth-graders at Glenallen Wednesday morning, where Taaffe made her an "Honorary Paramedic" and Police Chief Terry Lewis awarded Shari the "Do the Right Thing" award. She was nominated for the recognition by Glenallen guidance counselor Lauren Morales.
When she realized the assembly was for her, Shari initially hid her face in her hands in embarrassment before heading to the front of the outdoor PE pavilion where it was held.
"I was a little worried," Shari said of the incident, but knew what had to be done because her "mom used to be a nurse."
Glenallen School Resource Officer Sean Viara said by the time rescue workers arrived, Shari had already left.
Taaffe introduced Shari to the team of paramedics who responded -- Jennifer McManus, Keith Tommas, Gene Gardy and Mitchell Diaz.
"You might not recognize them, because you were gone by the time they got there," Taaffe laughed, prompting Shari to duck her head down again.
McManus said that, although the cut was a small one, it could have become very dangerous if not attended to immediately.
"When we took that bandage off (Shari had applied), the bleeding had already stopped," Tommas said.
Taaffe said in his six and a half years as North Port's fire chief, the department has only awarded two honorary firefighter and two other honorary paramedic distinctions.
"It's not very often that we get to do this," he said. "Someone jumped in and did the right thing and assisted a person in need."
Eleven-year-old Michael, the boy Shari helped, thanked her in front of the rest of the assembly.
"Thank you, because I many not he here if she hadn't done it," he said, admitting the cut on his left wrist, which still bears stitches, "hurt a little."
Taaffe, who in addition to awarding Shari her new status, gave the fifth-grader a North Port Fire Department T-shirt, arm patch -- "you can wear when you become a paramedic" -- and a car decal "for when you start to drive."
"We welcome you at any of our fire stations at any time, and some of those firefighters cook a mean dinner," Taaffe said.
Lewis, who apologized for not having a T-shirt like Taaffe, jokingly faked giving Shari a set of handcuffs.
Shari said she was "really surprised" about the honors and that she is considering a future career as a paramedic.
E-mail: annek@sun-herald.com