Get celebrities!

Fall
5
201
Inside this issue:
1. Get celebrities!
3. New lesson ideas
4. Welcome Meredith May
5. Illinois visit highlights
6. SHAPE America grant deadline
7. March Madness
8.Q&A
9.
New beginnings
10.Creating the next generation
of life savers
11. Strategies
Write for us!
Bring national attention to your school
by contributing to The Pulse! Highlight
the achievements of your school’s
Jump Rope For Heart or Hoops For
Heart event in the Best Practices
Section, tell us what’s happening
locally in the State Spotlight, or submit
a lesson plan or a heartwarming
feature article. Email articles to:
[email protected]
Contribute today!
Joint Projects Office • SHAPE America
1900 Association Drive • Reston, VA 20191
[email protected] • 1-800-213-7193
No
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Get
celebrities!
How to get celebrities to attend your next
Jump Rope For Heart or Hoops For Heart Event
By Brian Wisler, York, PA, 2015 SHAPE America JRFH/HFH grantee
Check with sports teams in your immediate area
•There is a minor league baseball team in our city (which I happen to work for) and they have
hooked us up in the past by sending both players and their mascot.
•The Baltimore Ravens are only an hour away from us... They said they were going to bill us
for their mascot’s appearance, but never did (our PTO was willing to foot the bill).
•There is also a minor league hockey team, as well as a professional soccer team nearby that
have sent players to our school.
Contact local non-sport celebrities
•I have asked local community members to attend: news anchors, newspaper reporters,
senators and congressmen. Some have even donated toward our school’s total budget.
• Next year, I am inviting Governor Wolf, a York, PA native.
•Last year, every student in our school wrote a persuasive letter to the First Lady, Michelle
Obama, inviting her to attend our Jump Rope For Heart event (integration with our language
arts curriculum). More than 650 neon orange envelopes flooded the White House last winter
(she was not able to come, but sent us a letter wishing us luck at our event). We later
shared messages and pictures with Michelle Obama and the Let’s Move campaign through
Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #Jump4SSE.
Invite high school athletes/mascots
•Many of our high school students participated in previous events with us, and our younger
kids really look up to them because they see them at the high school games.
Continued >
Invite college athletes/mascots
•York College debuted their mascot last year at our Jump Rope For Heart event, which also
served as good PR for the university.
Keep your ears open in your school
•A teacher I replaced in 1990 was a professional football player and Woody Bennett’s coach
in high school (former running back for the Miami Dolphins). He was our celeb at my first
Jump event.
• One of my former student’s mom was a former Olympic archer. She was able to attend.
• A student teacher of mine was a member of Penn State’s football team and attended.
•A former student was the starting tight end for Penn State and he had participated in a JRFH
event when he attended our school.
• Another former student went on to play professional arena football and visited us.
•One of our recess aides knew a member of the Chicago Bears who also put in an
appearance for us.
• One year, our head boys’ soccer coach, who plays professional indoor soccer, attended.
Don’t be afraid to
take a chance.
Nothing ventured,
nothing gained.
•The Phillie Phanatic helped us wrap up our Jump event at an all-school assembly last year.
He is the uncle of one of my students.
We usually are not able to provide autographs to all students, but sometimes get a dozen or so
autographed photos that we then use as bonus prizes for the students. Our celebs just wander
from team to team, smiling, greeting, shaking hands and usually jumping with the kids as well.
The main thing is to keep your eyes open, do not be afraid to take a chance, and invite
someone to your event. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
2 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
New lesson ideas:
Hoops For Heart!
By Laurie Nolan, 2015 Outstanding Coordinator Grant winner, Glenmont Elementary, Delmar, NY
Designing fun, educational lessons for Hoops For Heart activities is always a creative
experience. At Glenmont Elementary school, our students participate in a week-long series of
events to celebrate learning about their hearts and living a healthy life.
While our event format has evolved over the past 17 years of participation (we started out
holding it after school and in the evening, and now it has evolved into an in-school function
during physical education classes), the focus on teaching even the youngest students the
basics of heart health has remained a constant.
Listed here are some of the brief (5-10 minutes each) small-group stations we have used
to teach key “heart” concepts to elementary students. They can be modified to fit different
grades, skill levels and abilities. Students have already been introduced to the function and
importance of the heart, and understand why a heart rate will increase/decrease.
Save Our Hearts
Students must work together to lift and transfer a large earth ball (their “heart”), while
maneuvering on scooters. Each child wears a pinny that is labeled with a different hearthealthy component: one child’s pinny says “fruit,” one may say “vegetables,” while still others
may say “exercise,” “sleep,” “stay calm,” etc. The students, while sitting on their scooters,
must form a circle around the earth ball, or other large ball, to lift it, and then safely carry it to
the endpoint, which is a large, empty storage container 15-20 yards away or a hula hoop set on
the floor. Remind students that everyone must work together to keep their heart healthy, and
that all components are important.
The more active a
student is, the more
likely they are to finish
their puzzle, and
therefore, take better
care of their heart.
Continued >
3 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
Variation:
with older students, I give them
a harder challenge. They make a circle around a basketball, put
one hand behind their back, and use their other hand to lift the ball in the air
together. Then, they travel to a nearby basketball hoop (the ones in my gym can
be lowered to 7 feet) and attempt to make a basket.
Build a Heart
Cones are set out on the gym/cafeteria floor to make a “racetrack.” Inside the track,
each student has a “heart puzzle,” which is simply a piece of poster board in the
shape of a heart, cut into small pieces. Students earn a piece of their puzzle by jogging or
walking a lap around the track. The more active a student is, the more likely they are to finish
their puzzle, and therefore, take better care of their heart.
SHAPE America welcomes
Meredith May
Variation for older students: give each child a basketball to dribble while jogging around
the track.
Joint Projects Manager
Clogged Arteries
Meredith May is a Certified Health Education
Specialist (CHES) with a B.S. in Community
Health, concentration in Nutrition. Shortly
after obtaining her bachelor’s degree,
in 2013, she began working with the
American Heart Association. There, she
worked as the Health Strategies Program
Coordinator for almost two years and
implemented and advanced the mission
of the AHA in the community by executing
social media campaigns and community
events, and creating strategic partnerships
with volunteers and organizations. These
partnerships were instrumental in the
execution of numerous sponsor activation
activities for health initiatives and
major fundraising events for companies
including: Medtronic, HP, Lockheed Martin,
Washington Hospital Center and Kaiser
Permanente. The social media campaigns
used to promote these initiatives and events
resulted in a huge expansion of the AHA’s
local online visibility, reaching upwards of 2
million people.
Essentially, this is “monkey in the middle.” Review what an artery is before you start, and why
it is important to your body. Then, put students in groups of 3. You can use basketballs, gator
skins or playground balls for this activity. Two of the students in the group are the passers and
stand about 15-20 feet apart. The third person is the “clogged artery” and stands in between
the passers. He/she dons a pinny or old, oversized T-shirt that has pictures of “unhealthy”
things on it: smoking, junk foods, sugary drinks, salt, couch potatoes (I simply printed pictures
from my computer and taped them on a pinny. This is not an absolute necessity, but the visuals
have an impact on the students and add to the fun). The passers are trying to stay healthy
by passing the ball back and forth, while avoiding the clogged artery. The clogged artery,
meanwhile, is trying to cause problems by deflecting or stealing the ball. Switch positions every
few throws, or when the person in the middle steals the ball.
In her spare time, Meredith loves to work
out and spend time with friends, family, and
her black Lab/Dalmatian mix, Finn. She also
coaches JV high school softball and attends
Marymount University. At Marymount she
is pursuing her master’s degree in Health
Education and Promotion, which she will
finish in May of 2016. Meredith has taken
a hiatus from classes this fall to plan her
December wedding to her fiancé, Evan.
Variation for younger students: passers can roll a gatorskin to each other.
This concept can also be taught through a large-group tag game, without any balls…the tagger
is the “clogged artery.” When a person is tagged, he/she goes to a designated spot to perform
a set number of exercises in order to re-enter the game.
Slam Dunk Heart Disease
Students are on scooters. A clean, empty plastic trash bin (my school has 30-gallon containers,
so that is what we use) or other receptacle that can hold balls, is set approximately 20 feet
away. One at a time, students take a small gatorskin (or tennis ball, or any other ball small
enough to grip in one hand), ride their scooter to the bin, and slam dunk it in. The students can
get fancy on their way to the bin by going backwards on their scooter, spinning, going through
the legs or around the back with the ball, etc. They return to the ball pile and take another one
for their next trip.
Variation: this can be done without scooters by having the students crab walk with the balls
under their chin, bunny hop with a ball between their legs, or travel with a partner with the ball
between their backs, etc.
These are just a few of the activities we use during Hoops For Heart. The students enjoy
using their imagination at these stations, and the key concepts that we want them to learn
are reinforced through their participation. I am sure the activities will continue to evolve as the
students build on their knowledge!
4 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
Jump and Hoops For Heart
Chelsea and
visit highlights: St. Barnabas Schools
By Mary Kennedy, Illinois JRFH/HFH State Coordinator
I had the privilege of visiting Jump and Hoops For Heart events at
four schools this past year. Each of the schools had creative and
unique ideas for their events. The dedication and hard work of the
coordinators have made their events outstanding. The positive impact
that has been made will be long lasting for the students, school and
community. The students have a better understanding of what a
healthy lifestyle is and why they need to maintain it. Thank you to all
of the coordinators, students, schools, parents and community for
making such a difference. Your hard work is greatly appreciated.
Chelsea Intermediate School, Frankfort, Illinois
Chelsea School’s third through fifth graders in Frankfort have been
participating in the Jump Rope For Heart for the past 19 years.
Kay Elm, Randy Klosowski and Matt Dykema have worked hard to
create a successful event. The staff, administration, parents and the
community are extremely supportive of their efforts. This past year
100 percent of the staff purchased special T-shirts in support of the
event.
The students learn about the event by watching the provided videos
and talking about being a part of the fundraiser. Personal stories are
shared by the students about their family members who have been
affected by heart disease. Students are urged by the teachers to
make their own web site about the event.
The students participate in several incentive programs, such as
receiving a torch with their name on it for turning in $50.00. This
represents one life being saved by people knowing CPR. Students
receive an “It’s Your Life” wrist band for reaching the torch level.
Duck-pond posters display the students’ grade level who have earned
a duck. The grade levels compete to see who can get the most ducks
in their pond.
During the month prior to the event the students are taught jump rope
and dance skills. They are also asked to make a Jump Rope For Heart
poster which is displayed in the gym during the event. These posters
are saved to use for the next year’s event. The school’s TV monitors
display students promoting healthy lifestyles during the month leading
up to the Jump Rope For Heart event.
The parents are extremely supportive of their children by volunteering
to help out with the event. Each grade level has its own set of
volunteers during the two-day event. They help with student
supervision, timing for the event and handing out stickers. One parent
has volunteered for several years to count the donations and get the
prize order ready for the school.
During the event students organize themselves into teams and
take turns jumping rope. Each time a student completes a jumping
session they are given a sticker. There are rope jumping contests
with the winning student receiving a prize. The walls of the gym are
covered with posters, torches and Jump Rope For Heart participation
certificates and “In Honor of” hearts. The total donations that have
been handed in are displayed on a large board in the gym. Jump
Rope For Heart plaques from the American Heart Association are also
displayed on the wall at the entrance of the gym, and the amount that
was raised is displayed on the plaque.
During the past several years the amount of money raised by the
students and staff of Chelsea has increased. The school is one of
the top schools in the nation for the total raised. This past year the
school’s total was $62,323.00. This would not be possible if it weren’t
for the hard work, support and dedication of the Chelsea staff.
Continued >
5 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
SHAPE America
grant deadline
is approaching!
St. Barnabas School,
Chicago, Illinois
If you held a Jump Rope For Heart or Hoops
For Heart event last year, apply for a SHAPE
America grant by December 1! Grantees
will receive:
Maureen Perazzolo’s students at St.
Barnabas School enjoyed jumping with their
classmates during their Jump Rope For Heart
event. The 150 students wearing red T-shirts
ranged from first through sixth grade.
In order for the students to participate in the
event they were required to turn in at least
$1.00. Each grade level jumped rope as a
group around the room with their names
displayed on the gym wall. Volunteer parents
helped with supervision, handing out materials and turning long ropes for the students. During
the event Maureen led the students in dance breaks. Each child was urged to print the name of
the person in honor of whom they were jumping.
During the past year a former student from St. Barnabas had passed away from problems
stemming from heart disease. Her name was displayed with a big heart on the gym wall.
The students from each grade level displayed their honor hearts around hers. The current
students had learned how heart disease affects people of all ages, which made the reason for
participating in the event more relevant to them.
In the month leading up to the event the students were taught about the importance of the AED
units and how they save lives. They were also taught about the importance of living a healthy
lifestyle and being active. Jump rope skills
were taught to the students prior to the
event.
This was Maureen’s 23rd year organizing
a Jump Rope For Heart event. Throughout
the years, the students from St. Barnabas
have benefited from participating in the
program in the form of jump rope skills and
educational benefits. This past year, St.
Barnabas students donated $10,250.00.
This was the most that the school has ever
raised, thanks to the hard work of the staff
and parents.
•$1,300 professional development
stipend to attend the 2016 SHAPE
America National Convention & Expo
in Minneapolis, MN from April 5-9,
2016. The stipend may be used toward
convention registration, travel, lodging
and/or per diem.
•One-year SHAPE America membership
(if you are not a current SHAPE America
member) and (1) copy of the 2014
National Standards & Grade-Level
Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education.
•$1,200 US Games gift certificate
redeemable for equipment to enhance
your school's physical education
program. The gift voucher will be
presented at the 2016 SHAPE America
National Convention & Expo in
Minneapolis, MN.
•Invitations to special events where you
will meet physical education and JRFH/
HFH leaders from around the country.
•Opportunity to share what makes your
program special by contributing to The
Pulse, JRFH/HFH’s national newsletter.
For more information and to download the
application, visit:
www.shapeamerica.org/jump
6 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
March
Madness!
By Anne McCoy, Virginia HFH State Coordinator, Oakland Elementary
Colleges across the United States celebrate March Madness each year with a firestorm of
basketball talent displayed for all to see. The spectators are stoked, as well as the players and
coaches. At Oakland Elementary we have found a way to bring that intensity and excitement
to an elementary school gym while incorporating the American Heart Association’s Hoops For
Heart. The best part of all… an administrator we had a few years back created the original
March Madness Tournament for our school. Thanks Dr. Rice!
Students in 5th grade who maintain a “C” or higher in all subjects and show good citizenship
qualities for the 3rd marking period, receive an invitation to participate in March Madness as a
player, cheerleader or score keeper. Eligible participants receive quality instruction from varsity
basketball players from our feeder high school, King’s Fork, after school for one week. Game
day is always the day before we release for spring break. Student families come out to support
in droves. I dare you to try to find a parking spot on game day!
So… how is Hoops For Heart included?
A good March Madness Basketball Tournament is super fun with the addition of a halftime
show. The K-5 students are given a goal to achieve for their donations. Students in PreK-5
who meet that goal are invited to participate in the halftime show during the 5th-grade March
Madness Tournament. What is involved in the halftime show? A Duck Race! The PreK-5
participants are grouped by age and participate in silly games with their ducks. For example,
a Duck Pull where students place their duck on a scooter and must pull their duck around
obstacles. Duck Races continue all day until each grade level’s participants have had a chance
to participate.
Continued >
7 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
“Hoops For Heart has been
an excellent addition to
Oakland Elementary and
we look forward to more
exciting tournaments in the
future!”
Did you know that staff members can rock it out during March
Madness too? Staff members can join and be a part of the staff
basketball or cheer team. The winning 5th-grade basketball team
from the morning tournament plays against the staff team in
the afternoon. Included is a cheer-off between staff and student
cheerleaders, and more Duck Races!
Speaking of staff…
Did you know that staff members get fired up and support students
throughout the school by sponsoring children for the Duck Races?
Staff members will donate to AHA in support of one or more students
so they can participate in the Duck Races.
Q&A
With Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent Dan McMinimee
With districts often limiting the number of fundraising projects schools can participate in each year, how can you convince school leaders to
select JRFH/HFH as the fundraiser of choice? As a former JRFH coordinator and physical educator, Superintendent Dan McMinimee with Jeffco
Public Schools in Colorado, offers some perspective on how to garner support for these educational fund-development programs that directly
support our profession.
Question: How does your school district review
fundraising requests?
Answer: Gaining support becomes more difficult in a district of 86,000 students,
where there are multiple layers of staff between schools and the superintendent. In our case,
we are setting up a system of support from the district office leading to schools, and have
placed an emphasis on more site-based decision making within a framework of the outcomes
we all want for our students as they exit the system. We are also using this opportunity to
take a closer look at all that would make a school successful; not just the scores on statewide
assessments, but multiple measures of success.
Question: Why should principals and
superintendents support JRFH/HFH?
Answer: I am supportive of JRFH because it is a simple and concrete way for students
to support their community and to also build skills that are transferrable. It is an easy way for
students to develop their motor skills, work on fitness and healthy activities, and develop their
confidence as they achieve goals.
Read the full Q&A by visiting http://www.shapeamerica.org/jump/about/schoolbenefits.cfm
8 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
New beginnings
By Tessa Pehanick, VAHPERD Joints Projects Coordinator
As the newest member of our physical education team, I suggested that we host an event for the American Heart Association. My
new school had previously held successful events, but after a significant redistricting process the thought of hosting became
complicated. With support from our new administrative team, we decided to give it our best shot.
My best events have coincided with Valentine’s Day, and a dress-up day related to “heart health, love and celebrating our
health” helps to set the theme for the day. Promoting a “Dress in Red” day supports the concept of unity within the school.
I advertise spirit awards for both teachers and students on that day, and we budget for prizes or receive donations from
local businesses. During our events we look out for the students who have put a lot of effort into their attire! The
repetition and consistency of hosting events year after year helps to improve the “spirit” component of my events.
Starting anew, we collaborated to hold our event on one day for all grade levels and extended the PE class length
to 45 minutes, providing a unique experience for our students. We had several parent volunteers during every
session to turn ropes and take photos.
Five years ago, this school raised $6,500, so our challenge was to set a realistic goal for fundraising. Since we
added so many new students we raised the goal amount to $10,000. Teachers and parents raised eyebrows
at this amount, until we announced to students that both of our administrators agreed to be taped to the
wall if we reached our goal!
Changing up the routine, starting a new Jump Rope For Heart tradition, and working during class time
to perfect our jump skills led to a record-setting $18,606 total donation! We celebrated with
gusto on the day our thank-you gifts arrived! Every student contributed to the “Duck Tape” event.
We had TV coverage, and lots of happy students. Feel free to contact me, or your state Jump or
Hoops coordinator for ideas and strategies. Thanks a million for all you do!
9 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
Here are the 24 states that have passed laws requiring
CPR as a high school graduation requirement.
Source: American Heart Association
Creating the next generation of lifesavers
In the United States, every hour 38 people
will have a cardiac arrest outside of the
hospital. However, only 10 percent of these
victims will survive. Seventy percent of the
time, cardiac arrests will occur in the home.
Lifesaving CPR performed by a bystander
can double or even triple a person’s chance
of surviving a cardiac arrest. The life you
save by performing CPR is most likely to be
your own family or friend!
Students play an integral part in increasing
survival from cardiac arrest. Twenty-four
states now require all students to be trained
in CPR, with hands-on practice on a manikin,
before graduating from high school. That
means approximately 1.2 million students
(nearly 40 percent of the U.S. student
population) will be trained in CPR each year!
The American Heart Association (AHA) is
actively involved in helping to create the next
generations of lifesavers who will increase
the chance that a cardiac arrest victim
will receive the help he or she needs until
paramedics arrive.
In the first year of the AHA-Ross CPR in
Schools Program, we have trained more than
330,000 middle school students in lifesaving CPR. Over the next three years, more
than 1,000,000 students in 33 states will
learn CPR.
We are excited to announce our newest
grant program for high schools! Because
of the generous donation from the Ross
Stores Foundation, 250 high schools across
the country will receive 2 FREE CPR in
Schools Training Kits™ in the 2015-2016
school year. This all-in-one kit contains 10
manikins and materials for school teachers
or administrators to train hundreds of
students, as well as online resources to
make implementation easy. Students learn
the core skills of CPR in under 30 minutes,
and it contains everything needed to learn
CPR, AED skills and choking relief in school
classroom settings. The easy-to-use kit
utilizes the AHA’s latest science guidelines
and it is portable, allowing for easy storage.
It was developed for educators, school
nurses or even student leaders to train
groups of 10-20 students at once in a school
setting.
If you’d like to learn more about getting
your school involved, visit www.heart.org/
rosscprschoolgrant. Hurry! The deadline for
grant applications is September 30th, 2015.
10 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
Join Our Pack! Collect all 6!
Your teacher has these puppies now!
First
Donation
With a $5 donation,
students receive Super
Pup and a lanyard(see
envelope for the coupon
to tear off and send to
school with your child to
receive this pup).
Online
Online
With their first online
donation, students
receive Ninja Star.
With $85 in online
donations, students
receive Martia N.
Mutley.
$20
$35
$100
When students raise
$20, they will receive
Capt’n Bark
When students raise
$35, they will receive
Dr Bow Wow
When students raise
$100, they will receive
Soccer Pup
Get your puppies today and show your support for the American Heart Association and living heart healthy!
Jump Rope For Heart and Hoops For
Heart had another record breaking year
in FY14-15, and we can’t wait to see
what FY15-16 holds! We are almost
“pawsitive” it will be the best year yet!
After two years of Life Saving Ducks, we
are excited to announce our Life Saving
Puppies!
We surveyed students from across the
country, and hands down they chose
puppies over ducks! In fact, 85% of
students preferred puppies. We are so
excited to have our Life Saving Puppies
help teach students about what it means
to be heart healthy. Each puppy is
aligned with one of our important health
messages for students: living tobacco
free, reducing sugary beverages,
increasing exercise, reducing sodium,
and increasing fruits and vegetables.
The fun adoption certificates, posters,
and online badges make it enjoyable to
learn to be heart healthy!
JRFH and HFH announce
Life Saving Puppies
Another addition this year is our plush puppy at the
$150 gift level. Milo the Mission Dog is sure to be a
hit with students!
We have made numerous changes over the past few years to make Jump Rope
For Heart and Hoops For Heart events as easy and fun to coordinate as
possible. First, we introduced our new online ordering form that makes
tallying student donations easy. Then, we made additional strides
to improve the process of distributing Thank You Gifts with a new
procedure. So, stay tuned for further details!
If you are a volunteer who has held an event before, thank you from the
bottom of our heart! If you haven’t participated before, or it’s been
a few years, give it a try. With your support we are going to move
heart disease to #2! Together, we can
GET 1 DONE!
11 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015
Jump rope
featured in latest issue of
Strategies!
Jump rope is a popular activity within
physical education curricula today. It
develops hand-eye-foot coordination and
promotes physical fitness, especially
cardiorespiratory endurance, through an
active lifestyle. “Jump Rope: "Tricks" of
the Trade,” written by Kristin Heumann
and Steven Murray and featured in the
September/October issue of Strategies,
discusses various tricks including stepby-step progressions and verbal cues for
specific lessons.
Strategies: A Journal for Physical and Sport
Educators, is a bimonthly journal offered by
SHAPE America that addresses the everyday
needs of physical and sport educators.
SHAPE America members can select
Strategies as a benefit of membership in the
association. Join or renew your membership
today to start receiving your copy.
Set the Date!
Have you set the date for
this year’s Jump Rope For
Heart or Hoops For
Heart event? Have you set the date for
this
Jumptime
Rope
or Hoops For
Nowyear’s
is a great
to For
talk Heart
with principals,
Heart
event?
fellow teachers and parents about finding time
on the 2015-16 school calendar for a fall, winter
or spring event and also contact your American
Heart Association Youth Market Director to
schedule a quick meeting to sign your school up
and learn about the fun and exciting program
offerings available next year!
Email [email protected] to get started.
12 • SHAPE America • The Pulse • Fall 2015