Sangamon Sun

The elementary schools in the Ball-Chatham district recently received recognition for their engagement with heart-healthy programs.

During a Sept. 28 Ball-Chatham CUSD5 school board meeting, Catherine Henebry, Local youth director of the American Heart Association, commended the board for excellent student participation in the elementary schools. The partnerships teach the students heart-healthy habits for a long life, such as programs about vape prevention in youth, healthy exercises, and getting good sleep. The programs start as young as kindergarten.

"Chatham Elementaries just continue to amaze me with fantastic engagement and participation, and I just pick a couple of my districts every year to go and thank and it's definitely time to come back to Chatham. And thank you all for what a wonderful job that the Chatham Elementary Schools do in partnering with the Heart Association and our programs," Catherine Henebry American Heart Association Local youth director said at the meeting. "We've made a lot of strides in saving lives with research dollars and education."

A new part of the program that started this year was online access for families of students called Finn’s mission. The program is named after a young boy who has had multiple heart procedures, and it helps teach families, adults and children, about the warning signs of a stroke and how to act in the event of a cardiac emergency.

Henebry also presented certificates of appreciation to each of the elementary schools for their participation. She gave them to the superintendent, citing Ms. Fall, Mrs. Fowler, and Mrs. Gibson at each of the schools for their engagement with students and families, having the most families participate out of all the districts included in the program.