It was August. We were on vacation, just my six-year-old son Kevin and I, for my husband was always busy. Having driven from our home in the city to a remote and peaceful place, we wouldn’t see friends or family—it would be a nice, safe, socially distanced week away. We had hiked about half mile to an attractive spot called Diana’s Baths, which afforded visitors an expanse of transparent water. The water flows and then falls off a series of big flat stones, making itself a small waterfall, about 7 inches high.

Several couples and their kids in swimsuits were playing to their heart’s content in the water. We joined them. I watched as some younger parents nervously drove their babies away from the stones edges. Fast-moving water made standing there quite dangerous, for I saw a certain kid with curly hair missed a step and almost fell down. The air was full of shouts and laughter. I felt so lucky that I didn’t always need to fix my eyes on my son. Kevin could navigate his physical space with more confidence and care. But I was still terrified when I saw Kevin jump between the slippery rocks.

But with the passing of time, I soon relaxed, and we were both having fun, my kid splashing and kicking in the cool water, laughing heartily as I put my head under the cold running water.

Then seconds later, every fear I’d ever had rose to the surface. I lifted my head, turned and saw Kevin sitting between two stones, with the rushing water flowing around him. I could see he was shaking sometimes because of the water rapids. I yelled at him to get out. He yelled back something that I couldn’t hear.

Suddenly he disappeared in front of my eyes.

When Kevin returned to normal. I learned the woman was a nurse.

Traffic accidents cause many deaths and injuries every year.

In order to

Students' Union

4 . Norwood, a junior High School student, was driving three friends home in St. Petersburg, when another driver crashed into her from her left and made her car hit the tree. The impact jammed shut the driver’s side door, so Norwood climbed out the front window. Two of her friends managed to get out of the car unharmed, but her 16-year-old friend Zarria didn’t. She run back to the car only to find Zarria was just sitting there reactionless.

A lot of people started to gather around to see what was happening. Norwood started yelling, “Back up, back up, she needs space.” Norwood pulled Zarria out of the back seat, avoiding broken glass from the window. “That’s when I checked her pulse on her neck. I put my head against her chest, and I didn’t really hear nothing. So that’s when I just started doing CPR on her.” Norwood told the reporter. After the 30 compressions and two rescue breaths, Zarria regained consciousness. Ambulance quickly arrived and rushed her to the hospital to receive medical help.

When Miller, Norwood’s high school teacher, learned that Norwood saved a friend just   one day after completing CPR training, she was at a loss of words and so proud. Norwood participates in the school’s Athletic Lifestyle Management Academy (ALMA). The program prepares students for various careers in health science. “We do vital signs and they learn how to take blood pressure and check pulse.” Miller introduced. And another one of the skills learned is CPR. “There are two components, a hands-on skills component where they have to demonstrate that they’re able to do CPR well, and then there’s a written test component, showing that they remember that knowledge.”

Thanks to Norwood’s quick thinking, Zarria is recovering well. She also isn’t surprised by her friend’s actions. “She will always help any way she can, so I wasn’t really shocked about that.”