All Aboard
It’s amazing what you can do when everyone is on board! During the month of February students at North Aurelius took part in a Jump Rope Challenge! The motivation for students was three-fold- get fit, raise money for heart disease and learn more about heart health. The $12,000 the students raised presents some clear evidence of the impact of this initiative. The event was even featured in WILX's Schools Rule segment.
Dain Ryckman, physical education teacher, observed a big contingent of students who loved to jump rope so he leveraged the interest and energy by entering a contest sponsored by the American Heart Association – and the rest is history.
Maggie Burkhart, a fifth grader, said before she came to the school, she did not even know she could really jump for a long period. Many students took jump ropes home to practice in their garage or basement. Sheyanne Cantine, a third grader, said they learned how to double jump, Chinese jump, etc. all for the people in hospitals suffering from heart disease.
Several jumpers admitted to being mighty pleased with themselves and their accomplishment! They learned new techniques for jumping, become really fast, were more fit, learned a lot about heart health and they were proud to send $12,000 to the American Heart Association.
When everyone is on board, great things happen!
