Lynnhurst students get active to fight heart disease

SAUGUS – Around 50 second graders at the Lynnhurst Elementary School in Saugus packed the school?s gym Tuesday afternoon for the third annual Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser.Students from each grade took turns in the gym as physical education teacher Anthony Callahan led them through different jump rope stations as dance music played in the background. Students rotated from standard jump roping, to jump roping backwards, group jump roping and even hula hooping.?Why do we have jump rope for heart?” Callahan asked the group of second-graders.?To help raise money for heart disease,” said one student.?To save people?s lives,” said another.View more photos from the event.The all-day event is sponsored by the American Heart Association and has each student bringing in donations from friends and family followed by about an hour of jumping rope and other physical activities for each grade.?This is the third year we?re doing it here,” said Callahan. “It?s a great way for our students to participate in some community service and it?s also a great way for students to help themselves. The kids really enjoy it. They find a way to exercise and work on teamwork.”Callahan said students are often distracted by TV and video games, so jumping rope is a great way to improve physical fitness and have fun at the same time.?In today?s society we have kind of neglected how important exercise is and how it can be fun,” said Callahan. “This is a fun way for our kids to move, help somebody else and also help themselves.”Alex Tennent was at the gym to watch his daughter Jenna jump rope and said keeping active is important for him and his family.?I think it?s awesome to watch these kids get in shape and they?re doing it for a good cause,” said Tennent. “She?s got so much energy. She?s busy every single night of the week. We live by that in my home, between baseball, karate and dance.”After jumping rope with a group of five second graders, Jenna said she liked the group jump rope the best.?I love to jump rope,” she said.Second-grader Abigail Wallace said her favorite station was the hula hoop and said Tuesday?s event was important for helping people.?My favorite part is that you?re saving someone?s life,” said Wallace. “I really like to hula hoop.”Students also got to do an endurance challenge to see who could jump rope the longest. Around 30 students made the list for 100 consecutive jumps, while Evan Rago, Lucas Ferreira and Shaylin Groark made 200 consecutive jumps. Fifth-grader Tommy St. Cyr bested them all, however, with more than 700 consecutive jumps.When the jump roping stopped Tuesday, students handed in their jump ropes and Callahan led the students in a big dance party.Callahan then handed out the long jump ropes for a few minutes of group jump roping before the students headed back to their classrooms and the next grade filed in.Lynnhurst Principal Lori Gallivan said the students get “so excited” about the event every year.?They set their own goals, they work to collect the donations, and then they get to come in and have fun and raise money for a great cause,” said Gallivan. “Mr. Callahan does such a great job organizing it, especially when the weather turns like it did today and you can?t do it outside.”Students win prizes for bringing in the most donations ranging from a water bottle or frisbee, to the grand prize of getting to throw a pie in Callahan?s face during field day at the end of May.The Lynnhurst School is no stranger to fundraising, after a recent Coins for Cures fundraiser earlier this year, where students brought in spare change to donate to Children?s Hospital Boston, students were able to raise more than $2,400. The top five classrooms at the school were awarded free passes to Six Flags New England for their efforts.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].