Rehoboth Elementary students jump for heart health

Students at Rehoboth Elementary School recently spent time learning how to take care of their hearts while raising money to help others whose hearts may have more needs than their own.

For the third year in a row, physical education teacher Rich Lantz worked with the American Heart Association’s annual Jump Rope for Heart program.

Students solicited donations to the AHA, then for an entire week, every PE class was filled with age-appropriate jumping activities. “With the youngest students, we may actually be teaching them to jump,” Lantz said.

Lantz wants students to know at an early age how important it is to take care of their hearts, and jumping is a fun way to do that. The students rotated through stations which included jump ropes, hula-hoop hopscotch, mini trampolines, stair stepping. shooting hoops and resting. During the rest station, students got drinks and read heart health fact sheets.

The students had a blast and raised $5,089 for the American Heart Assocation.