
Participating
in
the
annual
Kids
Heart
Challenge
is
a
tradition
in
schools
throughout
PWCS
during
February's
American
Heart
Month
celebration.
The
service-learning
program
provides
students
and
their
families
with
heart
health
information
and
the
chance
to
raise
money
for
life-saving
research
and
educational
funding
for
the
American
Heart
Association.
At
Henderson
Elementary
School,
physical
education
teachers,
Kristin
Snead
and
Chris
Ferranti,
set
a
goal
for
425
students
to
participate
in
the
challenge,
roughly
half
of
the
student
population.
"In
the
past
Henderson
Elementary
has
always
exceeded
the
goal
with
flying
colors,"
Snead
and
Ferranti
noted.
To
participate,
students
choose
a
healthy
goal
for
the
month
of
February.
Goals
can
be
as
simple
as
drinking
more
water
or
being
more
active.
Once
they
have
picked
a
challenge,
they
receive
a
red
wrist
band
to
remind
them
to
stay
focused
on
completing
their
goal.
"In
physical
education
class
for
the
entire
month
of
February
all
students
at
Henderson
will
be
taking
part
in
activities
that
are
related
to
the
event,"
said
Ferranti.
"Students
are
also
encouraged
to
donate
to
the
American
Heart
Association
to
help
fund
research,"
added
Snead.
Snead
and
Ferranti
hope
that
students
take
away
more
than
just
knowledge
of
how
to
stay
healthy
and
build
physically
active
lifestyles.
"Students
can
learn
the
importance
of
teamwork
and
helping
others
while
building
their
own
self-esteem
in
a
fun
and
exciting
way,"
Snead
said.
Ferranti
added,
"The
Kids
Heart
Challenge
prepares
elementary
students
for
success
by
supporting
their
physical
and
emotional
well-being,"
also
saying,
"We
hope
that
students
learn
that
they
can
be
heart
heroes
by
participating,
donating
if
able,
and
raising
awareness."
To
learn
more
about
the
Kids
Heart
Challenge,
visit
the
American
Heart
Association
website.