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Two eighth-grade students from Cochrane-Fountain City were taken to Winona Community Memorial Hospital for hypothermia after working on a science class project in a pond across from the school.
During the project, one of the students transported to the hospital became stuck in the mud, needing rescue workers to help free her.
The students — the girl stuck in the mud and a boy trying to free her — have been released from the hospital, said C-FC Principal Sally Peterson.
With only four days of school left, 26 eighth-grade students and a teacher went to the pond to get water samples.
Science teacher Ryan Handke said four students — three boys and a girl — left the large group to explore a different part of the pond. The students stood on a sand bar collecting samples.
The girl sank. The boys didn’t.
At first, Handke thought the students were trying to get out of a math test scheduled for the next period, he said.
Then he realized the situation was critical.
So Handke said he brought the rest of the class back to school, changed into shorts and went back to the pond to bring the students back.
Handke said the girl had been stuck in the 40-degree mud for about five minutes before she told anyone she was in trouble.
After about a half-hour of unsuccessfully digging and pulling, Handke decided it was time to call 911.
Fountain City Fire Depart-ment, Wisconsin State Patrol, Winona Area Ambulance Service and Scenic Valley Emer-gency Medical Service respon-ded to the call, which was made about 1 p.m.
Red Wing, Minn., residents Brad Nagel and his wife, Martha Harris, happened to be driving by during the rescue with a canoe on top of their car. Nagel is a wildlife educator and a rescue worker specially trained to respond to emergencies in remote locations.
After some more digging, Nagel and Handke finally pulled the girl from the mud.
“Without him I’m not sure how things would have turned out,” Handke said.
