A cafeteria worker served a student some peace of mind last week when a bomb threat caused anxiety.
The bomb threat to the Egg Harbor City Community School turned out to be false, but the fear was real for some children.
“This is an evacuation. This is not a drill,” came the warning over the loudspeaker.
As teachers and staff worked quickly to calmly evacuate the children, cafeteria worker Tina Lavigna saw a student looking upset, so she got down on the floor and helped her feel safe, said a teacher who captured a photo of the interaction.
The evacuation was just before lunch was to be served, and the cafeteria staff was busy preparing lunch for the school and Charles Spragg School, where the evacuated students were sent.
But Lavigna, a mom of 10 herself, found the time to sit with fifth-grader Natalie Shearer, and talk with her.
“Tina is always talking with the students,” said Florrie Contini, whose Contini Food Management has been the school’s lunch provider for the past 24 years.
Lavigna, who is in her second year with Contini, can often be found with an arm around a student, talking with them, Contini said.
“She is very personable with them,” Contini said. “Very approachable.”
