Laura Gardiner, physical education teacher at Washburn District Elementary School, recently accepted two awards from the American Heart Association at the annual Maine Association for Physical Education, Recreation and Dance conference. This year’s conference was held Nov. 2-4 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport and was attended by more than 500 physical education instructors and other health professionals.
The school first received an award as the first-place school in Jump Rope For Heart/Hoops For Heart’s Division III for raising $12,001. WDES was also awarded fifth place in the Northeast Affiliate Top 10, which includes schools from not only Maine, but Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and parts of New York state. For the third year in a row, Washburn is also one of only two schools from Maine to make the nation’s top-100 (72nd) list for total money raised in combined jump and hoops events.
Funds raised support the American Heart Association’s research and educational programs. Students at WDES have now raised a 24-year total of $131,794.64.
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