Hirsch Elementary School second-grade teacher Diane Moore holds the ABCD award honoring her for coming to the aid of a choking student.HOUSTON – Jan. 15, 2021 – During its January regular meeting on Tuesday, the Spring ISD Board of Trustees honored Hirsch Elementary School second-grade teacher Diane Moore with an “Above and Beyond the Call of Duty” (ABCD) award for showing incredible presence of mind and preparedness in aiding a student who was choking on campus.
“In December, just before the Winter Break, Ms. Moore came to the aid of a student who was choking during lunchtime,” said Chief of Innovation and Communications Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield in her remarks during the meeting.
“Knowing there was no time to waste, she utilized her safety training to perform the Heimlich maneuver, clearing the student’s airway and resolving a dangerous situation,” Dunne-Oldfield said. “We want to give her a big round of applause for going above and beyond the call of duty – and saving one of our student’s lives.”
Trustees added their praise for Moore’s actions, including Dr. Deborah Jensen, who said she recognized the difficulty in putting knowledge into action in the middle of an emergency.
“I would like to add a real compliment to someone who can take your training, connect it to a situation in an emergency where there’s, I’m sure, quite a bit of feelings and excitement, and you were calm in the middle of a storm,” Jensen said. “We are really blessed to have you. Thank you.”
Trustee Winford Adams Jr. thanked Moore for her example of “being level-headed in a crisis situation, and doing what teachers do,” by always keeping a watchful eye out for the children in their care. That same sentiment was echoed in comments given by Hirsch’s principal, Dr. Clare Resilla.
“Thanks to Mrs. Moore’s quick thinking and skilled response she was able to perform the Heimlich maneuver and save our Hirsch scholar from what could have been a catastrophic event,” Resilla said. “Although fairly new to Hirsch Elementary and to the district, Mrs. Moore’s dedication and passion for serving our Hirsch Hawks are evident in all she does.”
Moore came to classroom teaching as an adult, spending a few years working in an area charter school before achieving her longtime dream of attaining her Texas teacher certificate. She joined Spring ISD at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, and went on to be named Hirsch’s Rookie Teacher of the Year.
Moore said she was extremely grateful for the ABCD recognition, but felt she could not have acted otherwise when faced with the frightening situation in the school cafeteria.
“What I did is what anybody would do,” Moore said. “I have to give the praise to God, because His hand was definitely on the situation.”
With experience in her own personal life as a caregiver, Moore said she believes the instinct to help others, especially in times of need, is hard-wired into human nature, but can also be cultivated through practice – something she reminds her students regularly.
“’When you can be kind, be kind,’ I tell the kids in the classroom,” Moore said. “You know, treat them how you want to be treated.”
She said that same generosity has been a hallmark of her experience at Hirsch, where fellow teachers and administrators welcomed her with open arms as a new teacher, and have gone on to support her in times of both joy and loss.
“I am extremely proud to be a part of Spring ISD, and particularly Hirsch Elementary,” Moore told trustees during Tuesday’s meeting. “We have a fabulous leader and a great staff that was there in an instant to support. So, I truly am humbled and I thank you very much for your kindness.”