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Northeast Ohio Girl Scout awarded prestigious Medal of Honor

9-year-old Elizabeth "Ellie" Costanzo was awarded the medal after saving a friend's life last summer.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — A Northeast Ohio Girl Scout recently received a major honor after saving a friend from drowning last summer.

Elizabeth “Ellie” Costanzo is nine years old and a third-grader at Gesu School in University Heights. She is one of only 11 Northern Ohio Girl Scouts to receive the Medal of Honor in the Girl Scouts’ 109-year history.

Ellie, her family and some family friends were at her grandparents’ lake cabin last summer when several of the young children went to the dock for fishing.

In an interview with 3News, Ellie’s mom Heather recounts what happened that day.

“It seemed like everything happened so fast. We were sitting on the porch and the dock is in the front yard and so we were just kind of watching the kids out there fishing,” said Heather Costanzo, Ellie’s mom.

Ellie’s brother caught a fish and it flopped around, eventually going under the dock. Her three-year-old friend leaned over to see where it went and fell into the water. He couldn’t swim.

“Then we heard a huge splash and we looked up and sure enough we saw in the distance just a little hand sticking up out of the water and then it disappeared,” said Heather. ”In an instant, Ellie just leaped off the dock and into the water and we were all running out to the dock out there but by the time we got there she had already reached him and pulled him out from the bottom.”

Credit: The Costanzo Family

The little boy was coughing up a lot of water but was fine. Ellie had truly saved the day.

“We were just so relieved that she acted so quickly in that moment,” Heather said, turning to Ellie. “We’re so proud of you, Ellie.”

Ellie received a Medal of Honor from the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. It’s a national award, honoring girls who do something “exceptional, such as saving someone’s life” according to the organization's web page. The Medal of Honor is given to scouts who have “shown a presence of mind (a clear and calm head) and true Girl Scout spirit in an emergency."

Ellie says she was surprised to find out she’d won.

“I felt excited,” she said, “surprised that I won it, out of a lot of people. I felt like a hero ‘cause I saved someone’s life.”

Since the award is so rare, the Girl Scouts let Ellie choose where she could hold the awards ceremony. Ultimately, she chose to do it in the presence of her friends and fellow Girl Scouts, at her school. Jane Christyson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio, presented the award to Ellie, commending her for her quick thinking and actions. 

Ellie’s parents say there aren’t enough words to express how proud they are of Ellie.

“I think it was the definition of being a proud parent,” said Tony Costanzo, Ellie’s dad. “Like, it was hard to believe that your child was up there being recognized for such a prestigious thing. It was really cool.”

Ellie hopes to continue in Girl Scouts, moving up through the ranks. She says she is most excited about getting to go camping. And something that has stuck with her is what her principal told her, upon learning Ellie had gotten the award.

“She said any person can make a difference in the world,” Ellie said.

Ellie's parents hope their daughter continues to inspire those around her.

“I think it’s really nice that she’s getting all this recognition and we’ve heard from so many parents of her classmates that she’s inspired them to realize that they can do great things in the world even, when you’re just a kid,” said Heather. “I thought that was one of the best things to come out of it, not only saving the little boy which was obviously the best thing -- but inspiring other children to know that they can do great things too.”

Watch Ellie's story in "It's All Good (News!) With Stephanie Haney" in the player below.

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