What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than by participating in the Kid’s HEART Challenge from the American Heart Association? Students at Salt Point Center (SPC) got their hearts pumping on Wednesday by hula hooping, jumping rope, long jumping, and much more.
This yearly event brings awareness to the importance of exercise and keeping the body moving. “It’s also a community event,” shared Scott Calcagni, a physical education teacher at SPC. “It gets a lot of the kids and teachers together that don’t typically see each other, it creates comradery, and reminds everyone that we’re in this as a school team and family.”
The event brings more than just the SPC community together; CTI early childhood education as well as security and law students helped facilitate the events and had a blast cheering on the younger students.
Logan Merritt, from CTI security and law, helped middle school students at their obstacle course. “The kids look like they are having a lot of fun. I’m really happy to be here.”
The three fastest students for the middle school obstacle course competed one final time to determine the champion. Student Jamari Hollis had the fastest time of 26 seconds. “Today was fun, I enjoyed competing,” he shared. Hollis enjoys exercise because it keeps him in shape for football season.
Elementary student Reagan Albach shared that she loved the event as well. “I climbed the rope really high, and my second favorite was the jump rope,” she said. “Exercise is good for your heart.”
Albach earned the Heart Hero award as the highest fundraiser this year with $798 of the school’s $973 total at the time.
The fundraising aspect of the challenge supports children with heart issues that have been in and out of the hospital. Faculty and students can get involved. This year, the American Heart Association teamed up with the NFL to create Finn’s Challenge, named after a child facing heart issues. If 18 faculty and/or staff complete the challenge, including educational videos on health and CPR, the school will be entered to win a $10,000 gym makeover, and anyone who completes it is entered to win tickets to the Super Bowl next year.
The emphasis on the importance of exercise does not end with the event on Wednesday, and neither does fundraising, which students and faculty can participate in through the end of March.
