Giving Back, Saving Lives

By Jillian Daley

Every year, North Marion Intermediate School fourth-grader Ashlynn Nestor collects funds for the American Heart Association (AHA) to honor the memory of her twin sister, Braydee, who passed away at age 1 of a congenital heart defect.

“I know I’m helping other kids like my sister and so are the other kids who participated,” Ashlynn explains.

More than 80 Intermediate School students banded together to hold the Kids Heart Challenge, a fundraiser for the AHA, a nonprofit organization that supports heart research. Just as the Primary School did at their AHA fundraiser this winter, Intermediate School students not only got their pulses pounding with physical activities and learned lessons in giving back, the kids had a significant impact.

The Reward

As a reward for raising $4,185 and easily conquering a $3,000 goal, P.E. Teacher Matthew Prom, who organized the event, says that Principal Cory Gaub, and several other educators allowed students to ruthlessly spray them with Silly String. Prom adds that he will be dressing up as a shark for the top earning class (to be arranged). 

“I’m going to be dressed in Silly String,” Gaub joked earlier this month.

Gaub and Prom delivered on that promise last week, getting covered in goo while students looked on, cheering. About 100 students participated in three waves of 30 to 35 for each Intermediate School grade level: third, fourth, and fifth.

Fourth-grader Lauren Holbert recalls that, before students unleashed the terror of the plastic spray, the crowd chanted, “Silly String, Silly String.”

Prom says that sunglasses shielded his eyes from the onslaught, which was a good thing because the kids blasted his head with Silly String.

“Because of the massive amounts of Silly String, I couldn’t see it,” Prom says. “At first, I could see Mr. Gaub jumping in a circle. We counted down, and then, even though he was standing less than a foot away from me, I had no idea where he was. The other thing, too, is, as you can imagine, every single one of those students is yelling as they are doing it or screaming ‘yaaaa.’”

Some students got excited and ran toward their teachers, only to accidentally become a target themselves with lots of the stick stuff on their heads.

 “It’s such a hard feeling to describe because it feels almost like wet yarn, just sticky,” Prom says. “When it gets on your arms, it feels almost like giant, wet spiderwebs.”

Apparently, it was entertaining.

They looked like “a bunch of colorful, sticky noodles,” according to Lauren.

Fourth-grader Paloma Correa says that the teachers weathered the experience well.

“They looked nervous but then kind of happy afterwards,” she notes.

Third-grader Owen Chaddick characterizes the experience “as fun, exciting, and different.”

“I mostly sprayed Mr. Prom,” Owen says. “A lot of people got to ‘Silly String’ him. … People were putting [Silly String] on the back of Ms. McCarthy’s hair!”

The Lessons Students Learned

As part of the month-long event held in January, Prom led the children in other activities that are both heart healthy and heartwarming, such as jump roping and treating others with kindness. The students received prizes for fundraising, such as keychains, and they learned lessons along the way, and not just about how to keep your base heart rate strong. 

When she first participated as a first-grader, Lauren says that she learned to drink more water to stay healthy, and she says that every year she delights in giving back.

“I like being able to help someone with a special heart,” Lauren explains.

Paloma also values giving to those in need.

“It’s kind because it’s giving to them,” she says, “and it’s also fun because when I raise more money, I get prizes, but the prizes don’t mean fun toys, they mean that I succeeded in giving.”

Paloma and the other children care that they’re supporting others — and the experts say that they’re helping a lot of others. In fact, the amount of money that the Intermediate School raised will save an estimated 84 lives, AHA Youth Market Director Katie Singer says.

Serving people like Ashlynn’s sister is something the North Marion Intermediate School students can, and should, be proud of.

“It’s really fun to fundraise, and I’m really glad I get to help so many people,” Ashlynn explains.

To share stories about North Marion, email Communications Specialist Jillian Daley at jillian.daley@nmarion.k12.or.us.