Pool poise.

Ten-year-old Shannette Grant of Coral Springs, Florida, was hailed as a hero in late May after the quick-thinking fourth-grader helped save a man from drowning in the swimming pool of the apartment complex where she lives. The youngster had received training in rescue techniques during a summer camp last year, and put her knowledge to good use.

At around 7 p.m. on May 30, Shannette was in the shallow end of the pool when a man with a worried look swam up to her. He asked if he had something on his face, then closed his eyes and started to sink. Shannette tapped his head and asked if he was okay, but he did not respond. Having seen some marks on the man's face, Shannette quickly surmised that he might have suffered a head injury from striking a pool wall while swimming underwater. She reached down and grasped his head, lifted it above water, and kept it there until some adult bystanders arrived to render further assistance.

The victim, who was not identified but lives in the apartment complex with his wife and two children, was airlifted to a hospital and reported to be in critical condition the next day. Medical authorities agreed that he had probably struck a wall, but witnesses could not confirm if he dove, jumped or fell into the pool.

Shannette told the June 1 Miami Herald with a smile that, in addition to her family, her school friends would soon know of her heroics, since "I'm going to tell everyone." The paper described her as "intelligent, well-spoken and unusually poised for her age," noting that she "wants to be a television newscaster."