[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here was a moment of understanding Friday when Hays CISD instructors Artermise Cyphers and Leann Loya shared a heartfelt, tearful embrace during a pep rally at Wallace Middle School.
Moments before, Loya, along with Hays CISD superintendent Michael McKie, presented Cyphers with a commemorative plaque in a surprise ceremony. It was all linked to a singular moment of heroic action that helped save a student’s life.
On Jan. 10, Cyphers, a 7th grade English instructor, successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver to save Loya’s daughter, who was choking on a piece of hard candy during class.


