By James Rincon
Pflag Reporter

While many were delving into chocolates with their sweetheart last Valentine’s Day weekend, more than 700 Pflugerville ISD members were working up a sweat for their heart at the PISD Health Fair and Jump Rope for Heart party.

More than 40 vendors, ranging from Aramark food services and the YMCA to Prevent Blindness Texas and American Chiropractics, set up booths to demonstrate, screen and educate a health-conscious community at the Connally High School cafeteria.

“It’s just another way that we try to provide for not only our students, but the citizens of our community and our faculty,” said Dwayne Weirich, PISD wellness coordinator and physical education and athletics director. “In some cases the vendors that are here are simply providing information about services. Other vendors that are here are actively involved in providing various kinds of screenings.”

In its third year, Weirich said he hopes the health fair educates community members about the importance of personal health and the services that are available in the district.

Down the hall from the health fair, in the Connally High School gym, elementary students from across the district performed choreographed jump rope routines as a part of the district’s ninth annual American Heart Association Jump Rope for Heart party.

“This is our ninth annual heart party and we invite all the elementary schools to come. We have performances from various schools, whoever wants to have a performance, parents come out and jumprope, and it’s just a day to celebrate heart health and families,” Murchison elementary health and PE teacher Docia Craft said.

The health fair and heart party are a part of PISD’s Coordinated Approach To Child Health program, which is a nationally recognized, evidence-based program designed to promote physical activity and healthy food choices in children from preschool through grade 8.
CATCH is School Health Advisory Council-approved program that fulfills the state’s requirement for all public schools to provide a coordinated school health program.

“The parents chose CATCH as Pflugerville coordinated school health plan… and everything is connected. It’s the parents; it’s the school; it’s the cafeteria; it’s physical education, health education – so that’s all part of it,” said Pflugerville Elementary School health and PE teacher Janice Scope.
In its nine years, the PISD heart party has evolved from simply an exhibition of Jump Rope for Heart routines to include Hoops for Heart and in the last three years the health fair.

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure our kids go on to the next level and to learn what they can do then and hopefully onto adulthood where they are healthy. That’s what it’s all about,” Craft said.

jrincon@pflugervillepflag.com