A fifth-grade dynamic duo wasted no time doing everything RIGHT when JJ Figueroa, 10, choked on a Fruit Roll-Up last month during lunch and was gasping for air.

“My other friend wanted to do a Fruit Roll-Up contest to see who could eat it the fastest,” recalled JJ, “so I put mine in a big ball and swallowed as fast as I could.”

Speed-eating videos of the long, chewy snack are all over social media. But right away, the blueberry treat got stuck in JJ’s throat. He started coughing, put his hands on his neck and turned to Donnie Veilleux, 11, his best friend since second grade who was sitting next to him.

“He looked at me and said, ‘I’m choking.’ I was so scared. I pounded on his back,” says Donnie, who knew he needed more help and was relieved when a school staffer came over, even though “she thought we were fooling around.”

That aide called out to the boys’ homeroom teacher, Kelly Sullivan, who had led the class to the caf for lunch and always lingers to make sure everyone is settled in.

“It was like slow-motion,” the longtime CGS teacher said. “By this time, (JJ) was by the trash barrel. It was clear that he couldn’t breathe and I could see the panic in his eyes. I gave him a back thrust (palm of her hand in between his shoulder blades) and out came a big ball of blue.”

JJ went to the nurse, and he told her, “I was suffocating,” Sullivan says. Once the nurse knew that JJ was OK, she contacted his mom and JJ reunited with his class.

“(The boys) burst into tears and clutched onto each other,” Sullivan said. “It was very sweet. They are longtime friends, best buddies and they definitely look out for each other.”

“I just felt so happy,” says Donnie.

After a bit of a buzz in the classroom – following all the excitement – it was back to lessons.

Neither Donnie nor Sullivan have had formal training for saving someone who’s choking. Sullivan is very familiar with such situations: Back in December 1980, her father – Paul Stanley – was working as a school custodian in Scituate when he saved a choking child using the Heimlich Maneuver. He earned a Letter of Commendation from the School Committee.

Donnie learned about choking first aid on social media and says, “If nobody else helped (JJ), I was ready to do the Heimlich,” adding that he knows how frightening it is to choke. One time, he was choking on a string and his dad saved him.

Sullivan is very grateful that everything turned out OK and she gives kudos to Donnie: “He hit JJ on the back and alerted teachers. He did all the right things!”

It had already been an exciting morning at school for JJ that day – he lost a tooth! But his lunchtime scare provided a real-life lesson for the entire class.

“Nobody is doing the Fruit Roll-Up Challenge anymore,” he smiled.