February was Heart Healthy Month, and Birchwood’s Physical Education teachers Erika Barrett and Russ Rufrano are real happy with their student’s effort. “The kids worked really hard raising money and getting their hearts healthy,” said Ms. Barrett.
The Birchwood community came together to raise money for the American Heart Association and Birchwood’s students learned about how their hearts work and how they can keep them healthy and strong. “We taught the students about checking their pulse and about their resting heart rate, and give them a goal to reach during exercise, which is 150 beats per minute,” said Mr. Rufano. “We taught them how to increase their heart rates by increasing their speed and intensity.” Students were taught two ways to check their pulse so they can assess whether they are working hard enough or if they need to increase their effort to raise their heart rate.
This year the Birchwood community surpassed their goals by doubling their donations to the American Heart Association, raising over $6,300! That is an amazing effort made by Birchwood’s students. Each student that raised $5 or more was rewarded with a duck key chain from the American Heart Association.“Healthy Heart month is a great opportunity for us to teach the students and their families how to have a healthy heart lifestyle,” said Ms. Barrett. “We teach them about proper nutrition and healthy habits, like not smoking, and the importance of exercise to live a strong healthy life.” Mr. Rufrano agrees noting, “Exercise strengthens our most vital muscle - the heart. We’re counting on our students to bring their enthusiasm and knowledge home to share with their family to keep everyone healthy.”
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