Students at Golden Hill Elementary got their hearts pumping by participating in fun athletic activities as part of Heart Health Month in February.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Hearth Month, as it is also called, is a time when everyone is encouraged to focus on their cardiovascular health. 
Physical education teachers Michael Barbariantz and Ryan Wall wanted to see their students be active in anticipation of this special month so they offered jump rope activities for students in third to fifth grade, while there were some modified jumping activities for younger students. To end the month, students
had a full period of jump roping in their physical education classes.
“It’s a great activity for students,” Barbariantz said. “The goal is to create lifelong healthy habits for the students.”
Students were encouraged to keep up the good work outside of school by doing heart-healthy activities with their family and friends every day for the month. Their parents or guardians would then sign off on mini calendars confirming the activity took place. The classrooms with the most calendars completed would receive a prize for their efforts and first graders ended up handing in the most.
“We would like them to continue this at home,” Barbariantz said. “Visually, if they see a task, they’ll do it with their parents.”
One of Barbariantz’s and Wall’s goals were to make these type of activities fun for students and they were pleased to see the majority of the school participate in this month long event.
“We just want them to be active and enjoy being active,” Barbariantz explained. “It’s been a good initiative.”