CARIBOU, Maine — Over $15,000 was raised by elementary students at Teague Park in the 11th annual Jump Rope for Heart event to benefit the American Heart Association and set a new school record.
The school also had a very special Heart Ambassador for Teague Park, fifth-grader Cody Martin.
Martin stood up and gave a speech during the assembly, informing the crowd that when he was in third grade and the rest of the school participated in the Jump Rope for Heart event, “I was in Portland having heart surgery.”
“I have something called Wolf Parkinson’s White Syndrome,” he explained, describing that he was born with extra electrical pathways in his heart that causes his heart to beat too many time each minute.
“The American Heart Association helps kids like me with their research so Jump Rope for Heart is an important fundraiser for anyone with a heart condition,” Martin said, and the elementary gymnasium erupted into cheers when he concluded his speech.
Martin’s fifth-grade class, taught by Cindy Levasseur, raised the most in the school with $2,312. In second was Frances Savage’s third-grade class with $1,974. Third place was Lorinda Duncan’s fifth-grade class with $1,538, fourth place was Angela Pelletier’s fourth-grade class with $1,529 and in fifth-place was Stacey Michaud’s third-grade class with $1,499.
Students who raised the most money individually for the American Heart Association won a chance to slime a teacher of their choice — and this year, the teachers were dressed up like the differently themed rubber duck keychains the students could earn by fundraising.
The top earning students were Ryan Austin, Cory Herbert, McKayla Kuklak, Nickie Deschaine, Nick Staples, Jordan Duplessie, Chandler Tracey, Anna Thibodeau, Evan Rossignol and Joseph Cimeno; as Austin and Cimeno were absent that day, the next top students Landon Thompson and Cat Westman were given a bucket of slime to “give” to an adult of their choice.
Dressing up as different ducks for the slimy afternoon were Principal Steve Austin as Mr. Cool Duck, fifth-grade teacher Lorinda Duncan as Princess Duck, Title 1 math teacher Debra Forbes as Trophy Duck, ESL teacher Carla Picard as Super Hero Duck, art teacher Lena Tingley as Artsy Duck, school nurse Susan Plissey as Nurse Duck, secretary Patricia Adams and ed tech Sharon McDougal as the Stripes Twin Ducks, Helston Jackson as Quacky Duck, local American Heart Association Representative Gary Urey as Quacktastic Duck, and physical education teacher Amanda West as Ninja Duck.
Students who fundraised were also entered into a raffle to win either a boy’s bike or a girl’s bike; winning the boy’s bike was Cole DeCambra, and winning the girl’s bike was Anna Thibodeau.
On April 16, students were afforded an opportunity to Skype with the President of the American Heart Association, Dr. Mariell Jessup, who informed the students about how they’re making a difference and helping people by participating in the annual Jump Rope for Heart Event.
