This Valentine’s Day, Niles High School will spread awareness about heart disease and stroke during the national Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart program.
The program aims to spread community awareness and teach students how they can fight heart disease and stroke by eating healthy and exercising.
Niles High School special education teacher Karissa Young said the message is an important one to share.
Heart disease is the nation’s number one cause of death, while stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to a release.
Ballard and Howard Elementary Schools will get involved in different activities to getting heart healthy, too.
The program gets all the students involved and engaged in the lessons, Young said.
Students at the high school will also raise money to fight cardiovascular disease by donating money to the American Heart Association.
Niles High School students will have a chance to get out of class and be part of a worthy cause. Students who donate $1 may shoot hoops for an hour in the gym.
This is the second year the high school has participated in the program. Last year, it raised $162 for the American Heart Association.
The event helps students to start thinking about lifelong decisions that could impact their health, Young said.
“[The event teaches] being concerned about their health and well being, [while] helping out the community with those [who] are already facing heart disease,” Young said.
Young said Students Against Destructive Decisions have been researching heart disease and stroke. Throughout the second week of February, the students will share the information with their peers by making posters and announcing facts during daily announcements.
Young said some of the most important facts to the students will be about eating healthy and exercising at least once a day.
Anyone who would like to contribute a donation for the American Heart Association can contact Niles High School at (269) 683-2894.
“It is a pretty cool program,” Young said.
Howard Elementary and Ballard Elementary Schools will also be involved in spreading awareness of heart disease and healthy living to students.
For their part, Howard Elementary will participate in Jump Rope For the Heart starting in March.
Physical education teacher Elizabeth Green works with Margo Tramel, a representative of the American Heart Association to address cardiovascular disease and teach students about being healthy.
In addition to learning about heart health, students get to learn new jump roping tricks and have fun being active.
Green teaches physical education at Howard-Ellis and Northside Elementary School.
With technology taking up more and more of students time, causing them to be more sedentary, Green said it is important for students to realize how being active can prevent health issues.
“More and more younger people are being affected,” Green said. “It is not just our diets but exercise and trying to get the kids to understand the benefits of lifelong activity.”
Howard students will also raise money for the American Heart Association.
Last year, Howard students raised $6,000 for the cause. This year, Green said she hopes to raise more.
On March 31, students will celebrate with a number of heart healthy activities.
Since 1987, the national program Jump Rope/Hoops For Heart has raised $818 million for research and educational programs, according to a release.