Cardiovascular disease and stroke are no laughing matter, so Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School physical education students decided to do something about both of them.
Nearly five dozen of the youngsters studying in the building raised $6,684 for the American Heart Association during an early morning Hoops for Heart program in the school gym.
Teacher John Walsh organized the event and the veteran educator recently accepted an award on behalf of the school and its students from the American Heart Association’s Long Island chapter for raising more funds than any other Suffolk school during a Hoops for Heart event.
SHAPE America and the American Heart Association are the joint sponsors of the Hoops for Heart education and fundraising program, which promotes physical education and provides students with information about heart disease and stroke. Funds raised are devoted to research into cardiovascular disease and stroke as well as health related education.
Mr. Walsh and fellow Huntington physical education teacher Elizabeth Vogelsang put together and coordinated the initiative. Participating students engaged in a variety of basketball drills and fun games during the course of the event.
Current fourth graders Henry Koelmel and Elizabeth James raised more than $1,000 each to lead all Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School students. The event total of nearly $6,700 was No. 1 in Suffolk and No. 6 on Long Island.
“I’m very proud of all the students who participated, but also happy that everyone in the school was able to learn more about important health issues and the benefits of a well-balanced diet and daily exercise,” Mr. Walsh said.
The American Heart Association presented Mr. Walsh with a plaque for Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School during the fall conference of the Suffolk Zone of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The plaque is now hanging in the lobby outside the auditorium.
