Two Bothell elementary schools have received grants for working with heart in last year— literally.
The American Heart Association, a nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain, awarded more than $13,400 in grants to seven schools in the Puget Sound region for equipment to help educators make whole-body wellness a priority.
The grant recipients in Bothell included:
- Cedar Wood Elementary, $3,500 for a playground safe for social distancing
- Maywood Hills Elementary, $3,500 for a sensory pathway
The American Heart Association’s American Heart Challenge and Kids Heart Challenge awarded more than $400,000 to more than 180 elementary, middle and high schools who participated in either the in-school or digital programs for the 2019-2020 school year.
Kids Heart Challenge offers physical activities to get elementary students’ hearts pumping such as hoops or jumping rope paired with digital missions to learn life-saving skills like hands-only CPR. The challenge’s curriculum helps prepare kids for success by supporting physical and emotional well-being, while offering new learning resources and physical activities to meet the needs of today’s youth and educators, according to the American Heart Association.
Grant recipients are now able to implement a variety of wellness activities with additions such as physical activity equipment, CPR training resources, water bottle filling stations and educator training opportunities on their campuses.
“I am excited to be able to restructure my playground with peaceful playgrounds, so kids can safely go outside and play,” stated Physical Education teacher at Cedar Wood Elementary Kathleen Reese stated in a press release from American Heart Association.
Shelly Dunn, Physical Education teacher at Maywood Hills Elementary, stated in the release that she was thrilled to have the grant for building a sensory path for students.
“This path will be a way for my students to take a productive break when overwhelmed by what is happening. It will also be a way for them to get a break from their cognitive learning with classroom and special ed teachers,” Dunn states. “The path will be something new and exciting for the students when they return to the classroom.”
Other schools in the state in Kirkland, Puyallup, Lakewood and Stanwood also received grants. Lakeview Elementary in Kirkland got $1149 for PE equipment safe for social distancing.
Funds raised by Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge participants support the American Heart Association’s scientific research and outreach programs.
More information is available at heart.org/kids.
