School Resource Officer Zack Marley saved the life of a 15-year-old female West Hall High School student by performing the Heimlich maneuver on Thursday, Aug. 8. 

Stan Lewis, Hall County Schools director of communications and athletics, reported in a press release that Marley and the school’s staff members heard cries for help during lunchtime in the cafeteria. Marley and school officials discovered the student choking on a grape and unable to breathe. 

While the administration sought out help from the school nurse, Marley performed the Heimlich maneuver on the student. 

The press release states that after six to eight attempts, the grape was cleared. The student’s vital signs checked off as normal, and she did not need to be transported to the hospital. 

“It scared me because that is one of my students,” Marley told the sheriff's office. “I look at them as my own kids, so when I see one of them is in trouble, it startles me. I go into action on helping my kids. They’re not just students, they’re my kids.”

“As a parent and superintendent, I am extremely grateful that we have highly trained team members in our schools who stand ready to protect and support the boys and girls of Hall County,” Will Schofield, Hall’s superintendent said in a press release.