WELCOME TO OUR
"WALK THROUGH THE HEART"

            Seventh graders are being introduced to the importance of healthy heart living in a four- week unit that includes information on cardiovascular fitness, smoke-free living and wise food choices.  They  take a journey through a model heart to experience the actual flow of blood through the heart and body. 

           The journey begins with an anaerobic activity that will deplete them of their oxygen supply.  They will don a blue vest signifying the lack of oxygenated blood and will enter the right atrium through the superior vena cava, will pass through the tricuspid valve (designated by three cones), into the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery which will lead them to the lungs.  There they will exchange their blue vest for a red one noting the presence of oxygenated blood and return to the left atrium via the pulmonary vein.  They will travel through the bicuspid valve (two cones) into the left ventricle.  They will transport the blood out the aorta to the body.  They will distribute the blood to the brain, organs, muscles, and nerves before returning to the heart. 

           On a second journey through the heart on a subsequent day, students will walk through the heart burdened by obesity (wearing a 20 lb. backpack), high blood cholesterol levels (clogged arteries - a tunnel filled with dense foam through which to crawl), and smoke-filled lungs simulated by leg weights strapped to the ankles and a “smoking through a straw” activity.  During specific journeys, students will wear heart monitor watches that will provide them with the following information instantly:  workout time, heart rate, and average heart rate for a specified period of time.   Dialog and problem-solving situations will also accompany their journey.

           Our desire as a department to educate and encourage the girls to begin healthy heart living now is the beginning of the SHAPE program's mission which is to Start Habits to Attain Physical Excellence for all of our students.