Brave Teen Hailed Hero After Rushing into Burning Home to Save Elderly Neighbor's Life
High school students don’t always earn a lot of respect from adults. In fact, authority figures often end up fearing for the future when they watch the hijinks of older teens.
Disrespect. Slacking off. Picking fights. Substance abuse. Adolescents engage in enough unworthy activities that it’s enough to make one’s hair turn prematurely gray.
Yet not every young scholar loses his or her way along the path of life. Many act admirably — or even heroically.
Consider 15-year-old Xavier Staubs. CNN reported that the Michigan student turned his competitive spirit toward helping a rival.
On January 4, Staubs had just finished participating in a swim meet representing Corunna High School when he noticed something odd: Another boy had begun drifting toward the bottom of the pool.
In a blink, Staubs dove in and dragged him to the surface of the water, saving his life. His quick action didn’t go unnoticed.
U.S. Rep. John Moolenar decided that Staubs deserved some recognition. So he entered a notation honoring the teen into the Congressional Record.
Bronx resident Anthony Rosa Compress didn’t have a watching crowd when he saved a life. Yet as a story from the Tribune Media Wire showed, he deserves no less praise.
Compres had just finished learning CPR at International High School in New York. State law requires all high school seniors to know how to perform CPR prior to graduation.
He never figured that he’d see a stranger suffer a heart attack a mere block from his school — but he did. So Compres jumped in and put his new knowledge to practical use.
Amazingly, he kept the individual alive until EMTs arrived. “I feel very proud,” he said.
His teacher, Oswaldo De La Cruz, said that was exactly how he should feel. “He is the bridge between the victim and 911, and he did a good job,” he explained.
Another high school student saved a life on August 20, albeit in a decidedly more dramatic fashion. WJCL reported that an anonymous Savannah High School student noticed something odd was going on with his neighbor’s house at about 10 p.m.
The student told his mother to call 911 and then bolted out of his home. Why? The neighbor’s house had caught on fire.
Without waiting, the young man charged into the property and roused its owner. It was a good thing he did, too.
It turned out that the neighbor was elderly, and if the teen had delayed, it might have led to a death. On its Facebook page, Savannah Fire identified the student as Taequan Mitchell and the neighbor as Stephen Solomon.
That’s bravery, no matter how you cut it. And it’s every bit as praiseworthy as the feats of the boldest hero.
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