Botelle students “knocked it out of the park” during February’s Kids Heart Challenge, Principal Lauren Valentino said. They raised almost $1,390 for the American Heart Association, far surpassing the school’s $1,000 goal.
During the month-long initiative, children learned about healthy living and eating, engaged in heart healthy activities and gathered pledges from family and friends. The event culminated with students taking part in a rope jumping challenge.
The PTO provided grapes, clementines and water to refresh and hydrate the children during the excercise.
Valentino said the children were paired with their “learning buddies” during the challenge. Under the learning buddy system, children from upper grades are paired with younger children.
“The older kids coach the younger ones,” she explained. “It brings out their best effort and creates a positive environment.”
The rope-jumping session was organized by Winter Thorne-Kaunelis, a Botelle graduate and now its physical education teacher.