Ehrman Crest celebrates heart health with new phys ed grant
CRANBERRY TWP — With help from the National Football League and the American Heart Association, Ehrman Crest Elementary School students will get to use new and improved physical education equipment.
A $10,000 grant was awarded to the Seneca Valley school by the American Heart Association and the NFL Foundation after it raised over $23,000 for the Kids Heart Challenge, a national initiative by the heart association. Ehrman Crest is one of only five schools nationwide to receive the grant.
The students were rewarded for celebrating heart health.
“Your unwavering dedication and commitment to education about heart health is nothing short of inspiring. The impact of your work is profound,” Robyn Birren, a regional vice president with the American Heart Association, told the students.
The elementary school students were inspired by their classmate, fourth-grader Kennedy Rader.
Kennedy was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve at just two years old. She’s become an advocate for the Kids Heart Challenge, helping Ehrman Crest students accomplish their “most successful kids heart challenge ever”
Seneca Valley said in a news release the grant will help support a broader mission to foster healthy habits of physical activity and emotional well-being. It also aligns with the American Heart Association’s goals to education the current generation of school students to be prepared to respond to emergencies.
“Knowing that we have so many students who have taken their own time to learn the warning signs of a stroke and hands-only CPR, it warms my heart,” said Bridget Miller, Ehrman Crest Elementary’s principal.
According to the American Heart Association, only one out of every four children in America is getting the recommended amount of daily physical activity.
At the event, a giant check for $10,000 was presented to Sara Coon, elementary physical education teacher, and Lee Mullett, middle school physical education teacher.
During the presentation, a video was shown with Alex Highsmith, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, congratulating the Ehrman Crest students for their commitment to heart health, along with Highsmith teaching the students how to do jump squats as an “exercise of the day.”
“The heart association makes it so easy to talk about heart health and the importance of wellness for our students,” Coon said. “Find something that you like to do, exercise, biking, whatever it is, to keep your heart healthy. It’s not just physical activity, it is getting enough sleep, it’s awareness around drugs and alcohol.”
The school does not know yet how it will use its grant money, but Coon said she looks forward to putting the money toward something that further promotes healthy habits.
“It’s really a very generous gift. We can use this for a lot. I don’t know what yet, but all students K-6 are going to benefit,” Coon said. “Physical education equipment is really expensive, so whether it goes toward our outdoor unit or something else, I do want to ask the kids what they want, if there’s something they want to see that we don’t already have, because this is all because of them.”
