School joins forces with AHA
Red Out raises money funds for heart disease
With February being American Heart Disease Awareness Month, the school is sponsoring a Red Out that will raise money for the American Heart Association.
February 11, 2016
Red is being seen a bit more than usual this month. One of the school’s main colors, and a sign of Valentine’s Day, February is Heart Disease Awareness Month with Friday the school’s Red Out Day. As part of this, the school partnered with the American Heart Association to bring familiarity and support to heart diseases.
“Schools support the American Heart Association by promoting awareness and raising funds for the nation’s leading cause of death,” AHA Youth Market Director Karen Young said via email. “The t-shirts are a great way for everyone in the school and community to support the American Heart Association.”
For more than 37 years, the American Heart Association has been working with schools to help students grasp cognizance of heart diseases and their effects.
Jump Rope for Heart is AHA’s original educational program geared toward elementary students. In order to reach out to all ages, Hoops for Heart and Red Out were created to educate middle and high school students respectively.
“An American dies of heart disease every 35 seconds, but it’s also the most preventable disease,” Young said. “That is why we work in schools- to educate and share information with students.”
With heart disease being the leading cause of death in America, it’s more than likely a family member of your own has been affected.
“My grandfather has Atrial Fibrilation and recently had a heart attack because of blockage,” junior Ashlyn Craig said. “His condition worries me all the time so I think we should all be aware of heart conditions because they aren’t always hereditary.”
Heart disease isn’t common among teenagers, but should be taken into consideration now to prevent it from occurring in the future.
“Heart conditions aren’t usually a young person’s concern, but with our problem with obesity in young people, we’re seeing an increase in high blood pressure,” school nurse Emily Mikeska said. “Maintaining your weight, decreasing the amount of salt in your diet, and adding exercise to your daily activities could all lower the risk of high blood pressure to make your heart healthier.”
