Posted by USA Today on Feb 19th 2020

This 6th Grader learned CPR just in time to save her friend's life!

This 6th Grader learned CPR just in time to save her friend's life!

Skylar Berry is 11 years old and a 6th grader at Orchard Elementary School. Classes are a little different than usual. That's because Berry is adamant that all her peers learn CPR.

Students huddle around Berry as she demonstrated hands-only, or "sidewalk," CPR. Her classmates are learning simple chest compressions to the beat of the disco hit "Stayin' Alive."

So why is this 6th grader so passionate about CPR? She recently used it to save a friend's life at a birthday pool party. The kids were playing in the pool when they realized that one of their friends was at the bottom. They dragged him out and realized he wasn't breathing. Checking his pulse, Berry knew she only had one choice to try and save his life.

Watch the video to hear her frantic 911 call. https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2014/10/03/16651621/

"It was pretty cool. I've never seen an 11-year-old do CPR on another kid. It was so relieving," says the birthday boy, David Baltzley.

A little overwhelmed by all the attention, the boy is back in school, feeling just fine. Berry credits the Sacramento Metro Fire Department and their Fire Camp for teaching her about CPR and water safety. She's hoping to spend whatever free time she has this school year to teach others to save lives, including spreading the word about her new CPR club.

"We want to teach other kids that real life situations are no joke," Berry explains. "It's no time to mess around."