Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: June 16, 2005
• Invested on: December 02, 2005

On February 16, 2004, Nathalie Vinet, a teacher at the Louis-Philippe-Paré high school in Châteauguay, Quebec, put her life in danger to protect her students from a troubled teenager who had managed to get into her classroom. Armed with three knives, the apparently disturbed adolescent threatened to kill anyone who tried to leave the room. Fearing for the safety of her students, Ms. Vinet managed to keep the young man calm while one of her students, feigning an asthma attack, managed to leave the classroom to get help. Ms. Vinet's presence of mind and composure prevented a serious situation from escalating into a tragedy.