It was an extra special Top Bee assembly at Laura B. Anderson on Friday, October 25. The Top Bee assembly is a quarterly all-school gathering where LBA recognizes students for excelling in being safe, engaged, and respectful.
This particular assembly also happened to recognize a staff member who went above and beyond while working at LBA. Rick Weiss, a custodian at LBA, received a Citizen Hero award from the Sioux Falls Fire Department and the SFPD. On October 3, Rick saved a student who was choking in the lunchroom.
In the words of Steve Fessler from the SF Fire Dept., "Today, I get to present an award for something that we do not do very often. This is a very special thing that I get to do today. I present the Citizen Hero Award to Rick Weiss in recognition for his fast action, clear thinking, and his ability to administer life-saving actions. On October 3rd, 2024, Rick recognized that a student was choking and having difficulty breathing; his decisive actions to first recognize the emergency, and then to react accordingly to provide a fellow human being with critical care make Rick Weiss one of the heroes who make Sioux Falls so special. With that, I'd like to present Rick with the Citizen Hero award and a challenge coin from the Sioux Falls Fire Department."
Rob with the SFPD said, "We know that there are people around us everyday who step up to the plate and help us out. Without that help, none of us can get through our days sometimes. So on behalf of the Sioux Falls Police Department, I'd like to present Rick with a SFPD patch, and another challenge coin. Again, the challenge coin is not something that we give out often. So thank you for your actions, Rick."