Sterling Heights High School student recognized for heroic actions

STERLING HEIGHTS — A Sterling Heights High School student recently was acknowledged for the actions he took when he helped a stranger during a medical emergency.

On Dec. 18, the school’s resource officer Duane Casbar presented junior Kyle Bailey with a challenge coin for his quick thinking when he stopped to help a man who was involved in a car crash.

This is the first time a student has received a challenge coin. Several staff members, Warren Consolidated Schools Superintendent John Bernia, and Kyle’s family — dad Kevin, mom Tracey, and sister Katelyn — attended the brief ceremony.

“We wanted to make it a little special,” Casbar said. “We see so much evil and bad things in the world. We wanted to do something good.”

Kyle thanked everyone for the recognition. The high school student was returning home last fall from a hunting trip with his dad in Concord, Michigan, when they spotted an injured motorist on the ground. The wounded man was not breathing and did not have a pulse.

“We saw somebody lying in the road. It was a two-lane road surrounded by cornfields,” said Kevin, who is a battalion chief with the Bloomfield Township Fire Department. “Nobody was rendering aid.”

So Kevin and Kyle, who is a lifeguard and knows CPR, quickly began life-saving measures and started CPR. The pair revived the man’s pulse and continued life-saving measures until the ambulance arrived, which took about 20 minutes. Sadly, the injured man didn’t make it and died at a local hospital.

“We did everything we could do for him,” Kevin said.

“That does not diminish what Kyle did. In law enforcement and emergency services, we understand that we cannot control the outcome, only our response,” Casbar said. “Kyle’s response was exactly what we hoped for anyone in that situation — courage, compassion and action. Kyle didn’t have to stop, he didn’t have to get involved. But he chose to act and, in doing so, he demonstrated maturity and character well beyond his years. Kyle, your actions reflect the values we strive and teach to protect, looking out for others, stepping up when it matters, and doing the right thing when it’s difficult.”

Kyle is the first Sterling Heights High School student to receive a challenge coin.

“He acted without pausing and with a ton of courage,” Kevin said. “He took control of the scenario and helped run the scenario with me.”

Kyle said he knew what to do after watching his dad work as a firefighter over the years.

“He’s a great leader in the Fire Department,” he said.

The challenge coin initiative was implemented in an effort to build positive reinforcement between law enforcement and students. The Sterling Heights Police Department, Warren Consolidated Schools and Utica Community Schools collaborated to develop the challenge coin.

One side reads “Sterling Heights Police,” and the flip side reads “School resource officer more than officers, mentors and allies” with the UCS and WCS logos.

“It’s to acknowledge students who go above and beyond for extraordinary behavior,” Casbar said. “As a school resource officer, I see a lot of our students in many different situations. Most of the time I see them learning, growing and figuring out who they want to be. Every once in a while I get the privilege of recognizing a student whose actions really stand out.”