Mariyah Carter, a fourth-grader at Taylors Creek Elementary, saved the life of Ryan Lippy, a fellow student, while eating lunch in the school’s lunchroom recently.

She used the Heimlich maneuver, which she had been taught by Taylor Creek’s school nurse Alyssa Lanier.

When the lifesaver noticed the young man choking on a piece of bread, she jumped into action and helped him breathe again. The Heimlich maneuver is unblock upper airway obstructions. It is taught to 4th- and 5th-graders at Taylors Creek as part of the curriculum.

“We, at Taylors Creek Elementary, are extremely proud of the courage Mariyah displayed in saving the life of her friend during lunch,” TCE Principal Brittany Mobley said. “Mariyah’s heroism and quick execution of life saving measures is a true representation of her character. We are proud to call her a TCE Tiger!”

Liberty County Superintendent Dr. Valya S. Lee has similar sentiments.

“On behalf of the Liberty County School System and Board of Education, I applaud Mariyah for her quick thinking and ability to stay focused in an emergency situation,” she said. “I also commend Ms. Lanier for seeing the importance of teaching this lifesaving technique to her fourth and fifth grade students.”