Healthy Kids Day

SHOW OF SUPPORT: Top fundraisers Madison Bowman, Catrina Zinni, Emma Alpert and Ethan Alli join Brown Ave. physical education/health teacher Travis Drappi in presenting Karen Fuller of the American Heart Association with a check for $4,363 that the school raised through Jump Rope for Heart.

TUG-O-WAR: First-graders take part in a tug-o-war contest at one of the fitness stations during the 16th annual Brown Ave. Healthy Kids Day.

SELF-DEFENSE: Instructors from Mastery Martial Arts in Johnston teach a group of fourth-graders a few self-defense techniques.

BOUNCING AROUND: Fifth-grader C.J. Ragosta takes a turn on the bouncy slide.

FIRE DEMO: Johnston firefighters remove the roof of a car during a demonstration of extrication techniques at the 16th annual Brown Ave. Healthy Kids Day.

HUMAN SUNDAE: Fourth-grader Madison Bowman helps turn Brown Avenue Elementary School physical education teacher Travis Drappi into a human ice cream sundae, which was part of the deal he made with the students if they raised more than $1,500 for Jump Rope for Heart. They far surpassed that goal, raising $4,363 for the American Heart Association. The donation was presented prior to the recent Healthy Kids Day at the school.

Posted Thursday, June 18, 2015 1:35 pm

Before kicking off the 16th annual Healthy Kids Day event, students and staff at Brown Avenue Elementary School presented Karen Fuller of the American Heart Association with a check for $4,363 that the Feinstein Jr. Scholars had raised through Jump Rope for Heart.

“They did a real good job. I gave them a goal of $1,500 and they shattered it,” said Brown Avenue teacher Travis Drappi, who incorporated lessons about heart health into his health and physical education classes during the fundraising effort. “We were blown away by that. We did a lot of jumping for two weeks. To make it a healthy competition for a good cause, I always think that’s great.”

The students then took part in a full day of activities during the school-wide Healthy Kids Day event, made possible by a $2,000 grant from state Sen. Frank Lombardo. The interactive morning stations were conducted by Drappi, Button Hole Golf, Mastery Master Arts of Johnston, the American Heart Association and My Cousin Vinny’s Rentals.

In the afternoon, members of the Johnston Fire Department used the jaws of life and other tools to demonstrate the extrication techniques that they perform when responding to a motor vehicle accident. Ladder Lt. John Robinson also talked to the students about what to do if they are ever involved in an accident.

Drappi, who earlier this year taught his physical education classes dressed in a duck costume as part of his challenge to the students to raise money for Jump Rope for Heart, also kept his word and allowed them to turn him – and a few of the other teachers – into a human ice cream sundae.

(Submitted photos)