J’Nay Bailey, 11, was walking the kindergartner and first-grader home from Montview Elementary School in Huntsville when the gunshots rang out about 2:45 p.m. on Sept. 30.

“I heard a pop, and I thought they were just doing the electrical work,” J’Nay told the Daily News. “But when I heard several shots, I grabbed them and made them get down. I put my jacket and my body over them.”

After the shooting ceased, J’Nay told the sisters, Kenzie and Kalynn Hastie, to run home, go inside, lock their doors and just stay there until their mother came home, according to the school’s principal, Towana Davis.

“Her whole thing was to make sure that they were protected,” Davis said.

Davis was not surprised that J’Nay, whom she called an “outstanding student,” had the presence of mind to act swiftly and consider the safety of others.

J’Nay credits the school’s “Leader in Me” program with giving her the confidence and know-how to display grace under pressure. It teaches students the seven habits of highly successful people, which include being proactive, Davis said.

The drug-related shooting put Montview Elementary on lockdown until the police department let school officials know that the danger had passed.

The city school board honored J’Nay with a certificate for “great courage,” and her actions were covered by local media.