A Kansas fourth-grader is being hailed as a hero after he used the Heimlich maneuver to save the life of a fellow student at his Scott City school, officials said.

According to KSNW-TV, Keller Turner, 10, was in the Scott City Elementary School cafeteria about 1:30 p.m. local time Friday when one of his friends began to choke on a chicken nugget. Although a lunch attendant tried to help by patting the child's back, the student continued to choke, the station reported.

That's when Keller sprang into action. He put his arms around his friend's abdomen and clutched until the food became dislodged, KSNW reported.

Keller told the TV station that his grandmother, a nurse, told him about the valuable first-aid skill.

"I just remember her saying something about it," he told KSNW.

The school lauded Keller in a Facebook post Friday.

"Thank you to Keller for being fast acting and giving the Heimlich to another student that was choking in the lunchroom," the school captioned a photo of the boy. "We are so proud of him!

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A migrant farmworker harvests Vidalia onions at a farm in Collins, in 2011. A coalition of farmworkers, including one based in Georgia, filed suit last month in federal court arguing that cuts to H-2A wages will trigger a cut in the pay and standard of living of U.S. agricultural workers. (Bita Honarvar/AJC)

Credit: Bita Honarvar