ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Ten local students were honored for their brave actions, giving back to the community, and other good deeds at the first Do the Right Thing awards ceremony of the school year.

Matthew Klinkbeil, eighth grader at John Williams School No. 5 in RCSD, was recognized for preventing a fire. When he was staying with his nana and aunt, his nana had left the house and his aunt was asleep. That’s when Matthew noticed something was wrong. The oven was left on and filling the house with smoke.

“I saw there was smoke in the kitchen and I was like ‘what the…this normally doesn’t happen’,” Matthew said.

That’s when Matthew called his Nana to ask how to shut the oven off. By doing that, he helped prevent what could have been a serious fire.

Tune into News10NBC TODAY, which runs from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m., next week to learn more about the good deeds that the students are recognized for.

Nominations are open year-round for the Do the Right Thing Award. Any student in grades K-12 in a Monroe County school is eligible for a nomination. The good deed must have occurred within one year of the nomination. Anyone over 18 years of age can submit a nomination form including family, friends, school staff, and coaches.

The Rochester Police Department has held The Do the Right Thing awards since 1995. You can learn more about nominating a student here and see other winners here.