PUHI — The Island School student body kicked off the 2005 Jump for Heart campaign, as the 300 students had an opportunity to participate in either the Jump for Heart event set up at the school’s gym, or the Hoops
PUHI — The Island School student body kicked off the 2005 Jump for Heart campaign, as the 300 students had an opportunity to participate in either the Jump for Heart event set up at the school’s gym, or the Hoops for Heart that took place at the basketball court on the west end of the Puhi campus.
Cathy Shanks of the American Heart Association, Kaua‘i division, said that Island School is always the first school on the schedule that has different schools from around the island participating in the event.
A visit by the Kamehameha Schools jump team preceded the kickoff, with students from the Kapalama, O‘ahu campus visiting the Puhi campus.
Island School physical education instructor Jackie Mierta said last year the school raised over $4,000.
Mierta said that the students would have two physicaleducation classes on Jump day, one being their Jump for Heart period. She said that when the Kamehameha team visited their school, they said they raised close to $60,000 for the American Heart Association with their program.
Shanks added that Waimea High School leaders also expressed an interest in entering the program this year, with teacher Art Oshima trying to organize a Hoops for Heart event at the Menehune campus.
Island School also featured a Hoops for Heart program in their daylong kickoff, with students being given an opportunity to see how many baskets they could net in a threeminute period. Prior to that, informal teams played pickup games on the court, with winners advancing along a tournament tree set up by the teachers.
Hosted and coordinated by officials with the American Heart Association, Jump Rope for Heart promotes the value of physical activity while showing students they can contribute to their community’s welfare.
This is a time when children can establish the foundation for movement skills, Shanks said. It is also the years when positive learning experiences can help establish a positive attitude and appreciation for participating in regular, daily physical activity for life, she added.
By jumping rope and securing sponsors, students raise money for the fight against heart disease and stroke, all while learning about the seriousness of heart disease and stroke, and the lifelong benefits of physical activity, and the importance of living a hearthealthy lifestyle.
For more information, people may contact the American Heart Association office in the Rice Shopping Center, 2457311, or visit the Web site at www.americanheart.org.
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 2453681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
