Teacher feted for keeping cool in shootout

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MEXICO CITY, May 31 (UPI) -- A preschool teacher in northern Mexico was recognized for keeping her students calm during a gunfight outside the school, Mexican officials said.

In a video that went viral on the Internet, teacher Martha Rivera Alanis could be heard telling her charges to lie on the floor and remain calm, and could be heard leading the children in song as gunshots rang out, CNN reported Tuesday.

"Let's sing a song!" Rivera Alanis could be heard saying on the video.

Mexican state media said authorities in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, where Rivera Alanis works, honored the teacher Monday, lauding her courage and ability to stay composed during the shootout last week.

Mexican officials said five people were killed in the shootout Friday near Rivera Alanis' school.