More than a Valentine: Students learn fitness and CPR in heart smart effort

During American Heart Month and just in time for Valentine’s Day, Mount Vernon City School District students really put their hearts into it Friday morning!

At Hamilton School, students skipped rope, drummed, powered through pushups, performed planks and kept moving from station to station in a celebration of cardiovascular fitness. 

And without skipping a beat, the students finally entered a classroom for a yoga session, where they stretched and breathed to center their minds and lower their heart rates.

The event was part of a districtwide initiative promoting healthy hearts in fun, memorable ways — a coordinated effort among physical education, music, art and library media teachers.

“I think this activity is great because it really connects rhythm and the heart,” said music teacher Jissette Vargas-Castillo as students created a percussive cacophony. “When we do rhythm, and our heart is rhythm, it goes really well with helping the kids visualize that their heartbeat can be played on a drum.”

As students experimented on various drums, they were reminded that their own hearts keep a steady tempo all day long.

“They become aware that their heart is music — and beats,” Ms. Vargas-Castillo said.  

At Edward Williams School, meanwhile, the focus shifted from keeping hearts strong to knowing how to restart one in an emergency.

Students were first taught how to recognize the signs of cardiac arrest and other serious health emergencies. They learned about the purpose of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and how the devices can shock a heart back into a regular rhythm.

Then came hands-on practice.

Breaking into teams, students performed CPR on training dummies, learning to lock their arms straight and use their body weight to deliver effective chest compressions. They practiced keeping a steady tempo — about 100 to 120 beats per minute — the lifesaving rhythm recommended for CPR.

“Heart health is important not only for our children, but for the families in our community,” said Lisa Mayzun, the district’s leader of health and physical education. “Everybody should be aware of the importance of maintaining healthy habits — nutrition, exercise, all the things that contribute to the health of our body, and the heart being one of them.”

Ms. Mayzun said the key is introducing the concepts in ways children will remember.

“As physical educators, we teach about the heart and heart rate all year long,” she said. “This just reinforces it in fun and different ways. And even as small children, they can save lives.”

The heart-health initiative has been a coordinated, districtwide effort. Lincoln and Grimes schools held events earlier this week, and additional activities are planned at Mandela, Pennington and Traphagen schools after the break.

Whether students were exercising or learning how to deliver lifesaving compressions, the message was clear: taking care of your heart — and knowing how to help someone else’s — is one of the greatest acts of love.