Earlier this month, a group of students walking to school in Seminole County discovered a man having a medical emergency.

  • Jackson Heights Middle School students saw a man in medical trouble
  • They are credited for saving the man, who is now recovering

At Jackson Heights Middle School in Oviedo, students learn you do not have to be Superman or Batman to be a hero in someone else’s life.

"I've always dreamed about it, and then one of our friends was like, "Maybe God put us in this position for a reason,'" said Mercedes Hampton, a 7th grader at Jackson Heights.

The students also learn to not just standby while other students are bullied.

"We were reading a story and it was talking about how don't be a bystander, do something about it," said Platinum Foster, a 7th grader at Jackson Heights.

It is a lesson that also applied to something else that came up on a recent walk to school.

"We saw this man, he didn't look his normal self," said Foster.

"We were a little nervous because we didn’t know what to do exactly," said DeAndre Henry.

However, several students quickly jumped into action.

"She was standing over him and asking him 'Are you okay, sir are you okay?’ and he never answered. He just kept gasping for breath," said Hampton.

"I checked his heart rate – it was low – and I checked his pulse – it was low. And then I gave him chest compressions," said Foster.

Foster says her mother often had seizures, so she knew how to recognize when someone was in bad shape. She wants to work in the medical field someday and learned CPR at a college program about possible future careers.

"I feel good about it, because something – the spirit of God – or someone called me over there – like 'Go help him,'" said Foster.

While Foster tended to the man, Henry tracked down the man's wife nearby and let her use his cell phone to call for help.

Several students looked out for first responders to make sure they went to the right place. The middle-schoolers may have saved a man's life. But they are shrugging off any talk of being heroes.

“I wouldn't consider myself hero, it was just something I thought I should do – help a guy out," said Henry.

"I wouldn't consider myself a hero because it was something that you're supposed to do," said Foster.

The man who had the medical emergency survived and is now recovering.