Elmwood Students Celebrate Fundraiser Success

The students pictured in the featured photo of this article are Elmwood Elementary sisters Xochitl and Xiomara Ceaser.

Elmwood Elementary students have had quite the year in their P.E. classes! Starting right after their Winter Olympics unit, the students focused on the American Heart Association’s Heart Challenge fundraiser! Through the fundraiser, students engaged in cardiovascular endurance activities and learned to measure their pulse to track their target heart rate after each round. They also worked on completing “Finn’s Mission,” where they learned skills like performing Hands-Only CPR and how to identify a stroke. Schools that participate in the Kids Heart Challenge are raising funds to help kids with heart issues. One of these kids is Finn, a 3rd grader who was born with heart defects and has already undergone 18 procedures in his life. Finn’s goal is to educate others about heart health and help other kids with special hearts.

With 19 kids completing Finn’s Mission, these students qualified for an entry to a nationwide drawing to win two tickets to the 2027 Super Bowl! Since they had the most students in the region complete Finn's mission, Elmwood received an extra $100 gift card to purchase athletic equipment from US Games! The school also was entered into a nationwide drawing to win $10,000 in PE equipment. 

One of the most fun things earned from this fundraiser was the half-time court experience at the Chicago Bulls game. Three lucky students were chosen to go to the Bulls vs. Bucks game on March 1, as they raised over the $200 threshold for the fundraiser. These students got to see the Bulls win, and went onto the court for a full, immersive experience, even shooting basketballs in the United Center hoops. The students who won were Lorenzo Selvaggio-Schneider, and sisters Xochitl and Xiomara Ceaser.

Student Lorenzo Selvaggio-Schneider shoots basketball on the United Center court
 

Student Xochitl Ceaser on the Chicago Bulls basketball court

In total, Elmwood raised $6,342.02 for the fundraiser. A special shoutout goes to 3rd grader Ava Cahill, as she was the school’s top earner. She earned an impressive $783.25! Congrats to all the students for their hard work, the prizes are well deserved! Thank you to P.E. teacher Lisa Scimeca for all she has done with the kids this year. Her dedication to her students is unmatched.