The Churchville community responded once again to the fundraising efforts of the students at Churchville Elementary School (CES) with donations totaling over $18,300 for the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge. The school has been participating in AHA Heart Events since 2001, raising an astounding grand total of almost $120,000 for the organization.
Students celebrated their success on February 15 with a school-wide assembly honoring their own Heart Hero, student Georgia Baxter, and their top student fundraisers: Makenna McAllister ($580), Violet Wanck-Kann ($650) and Lilly Silvarole ($900).
This year’s program coordinator, physical education teacher Bethany Matsko, said, “The entire school participated in the healthy heart challenge during PE classes, and 185 students volunteered to raise donations. Our kids here at CES take heart health very seriously on both a personal level and as good community members who want to help others.”
The highlight of the assembly was the promised reward for reaching the challenge goal – covering several teachers, including Matsko, Assistant Principal Jamie Polhamus and Principal David Johnson, with gobs of brightly colored silly string.
Johnson then invited Miss Silvarole to take her place at his desk as Principal for the Day. When asked if she was looking forward to the role, she said simply, “No.”
More than 3,000 schools nationwide participate in the AHA Kids Heart Challenge program. The events are fun, promote sports and fitness, educate students in the risks of heart disease and stroke, and help lay the groundwork for life-long community activism and volunteering. Churchville-Chili schools and students have been supporters for many years. The Churchville community takes the annual Hoops for Heart event very seriously. Last year, CES raised over $21,000 and has consistently placed in the top echelon of the state’s fundraising schools.
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