Inside our schools: Heart health event gets students jumping
More than 500 students explored heart health this week during the Jump Rope for Heart event at Greenacres Elementary School.
Kids in each classroom jumped into activities designed to get the students moving and teach them how to keep their hearts healthier. Some students also raised money for the American Heart Association in celebration of American Heart Month.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, students rotated through four heart stations with each class spending an hour in activities, said P.J. Jarvis, a health and fitness teacher who organized the event.
“It’s a big educational event for our students,” Jarvis said. “We’re making sure that they’re learning about how to take care of their own hearts and bodies for a lifetime.”
A giant Living Heart obstacle course set up in the gym had students play the role of red blood cells as they circulated on scooters through two chambers of the heart, carrying carbon dioxide back to the lungs in exchange for oxygen.
“We talk about how hard it is for your body to work when it doesn’t have enough oxygen,” added Jarvis. “We’re trying to teach them that they need to train their heart to be more efficient and stronger, and that is why daily aerobic exercise is so important.”
For another part of this course, the students dribbled through the other two chambers of the heart and when they arrived at the ventricle, they put down their oxygen balls and jumped rope for 20 minutes, simulating that when people do aerobic exercise, they should do this for at least 20 minutes a day. Throughout the heart journey, students could hear a heart beat in the background on a sound system.
In the Jumping Mania station, also in the gym, the students used their jump-roping skills in group and individual formats. They completed sets in double-dutch jump-roping, long-rope jumping, short-rope jumping, and with the use of pogo sticks and pogo balls. Several parents and community volunteers helped turn the ropes.
A Heart Lab allowed students to view a real pig heart and lungs under a microscope, as well as compare the lungs of smokers and nonsmokers. The students examined lung tissue cells, cardiac muscle cells, skeletal muscle cells, human red blood cells and frog blood cells. The station also has several displays from an antismoking program developed by Educational Service District 101.
Jarvis added Computer Lab heart activities this year. Older students in grades 2 through 5 could play a game of Heart Health Jeopardy, while younger students created an art project with hearts.
Wrapping up on Friday, Jarvis planned to show a big-screen movie about the heart done by Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Parents can learn next week about steps to protect children from drug and Internet threats.
Children’s safety topic of symposium
A Health and Safety Symposium is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at University High School. The free event will be held in the school’s theater, 12420 E. 32nd Ave., in the Central Valley School District.
Two speakers will discuss issues impacting school-age children. Kami Beckwith, from the FBI, will speak about Internet predators. Dean Wells, from the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council, will present “Keeping Our Children Drug Free.”
Both presentations are designed to introduce constructive ways to open the lines of communication on these topics. The two speakers can offer ideas regarding signs to look for and how parents can become advocates for their children’s safety.
More than 15 local agencies will also be on hand with health and safety information for parents and students. The University High School Boosters are sponsoring the event along with Ellingsen-Paxton Orthodontics. While the event is free and open to the public, event organizers are accepting canned food donations for the Valley Food Bank at the door. For more information, call 323-8128.
Student essays win VFW contest
A group of St. John Vianney Catholic School students won for their essays in a Veterans of Foreign Wars writing contest.
Writing on the topic, “Why I Am An American Patriot,” the St. John Vianney students placed in the top-three for each grade level. In sixth-grade, the winners are: Briann Troksa, first place; Miranda Heid, second place; and Julia Brown, third place. In seventh-grade, they are: Hannah French, first place; Josh Ridenbaugh, second place; and Matthew Szymanski, third place. In eighth-grade, they are: Max Kelly, first place; Diana Nelson, second place; and Mac Johnson, third place.
Jeromchek earns dance program scholarship
Ashley Jeromchek, a Summit School eighth-grader, got accepted to dance at the School of American Ballet in New York City this summer for a five-week intensive program. Participants had to audition to be selected.
She also received a full-tuition, $2,100 scholarship to attend the summer program. Any scholarships are awarded on an individual basis, and not everyone who passes the auditions receives scholarships. Additionally, students in the program get to attend performances of the American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet.
Jeromchek, 14, auditioned in Seattle for this program on Jan. 20. She started ballet only four years ago and dances at Ballet Arts Academy and for Theater Ballet Co., both in Spokane.