Mountville Elementary School (MES), 200 College Ave., recently partnered with the American Heart Association to educate students on healthy habits and activities during the school's spirit week from Feb. 12 to 16. The kids were encouraged to wear a specific color to match the theme of the day, and each day's theme focused on a different topic that promotes a positive environment and personal well-being.

MES students wore blue on the first day of the week, and they learned how to create a healthy diet using fresh produce and substituting water for sugary beverages. On Tuesday, participants dressed in green clothes and discussed the importance of treating others with kindness. On Wednesday, the kids wore orange outfits and learned how to perform CPR. On Thursday, students donned purple clothing and completed science, technology, engineering and math activities. On the final day of spirit week, which incorporated the color red in its theme, the youngsters learned about the dangers of smoking and vaping.

Each day of spirit week featured a challenge that related to its theme, which students could complete to earn a small prize. Challenges included sending 10 kind messages to family members or friends, completing a CPR training activity at home and enlisting students' parents to post on social media about the health risks associated with smoking and vaping.

Prizes for completing challenges included items such as keychains, plush toys and other small trinkets. Students who completed the CPR activity were entered in sweepstakes for tickets to the 2025 National Football League championship game.

"The challenges provided students with interactive instructional links they can do at home," said MES principal Stacy Kain. "Students and their family members were able to learn things like hands-on CPR to prepare them for the future and to facilitate a legacy of lifesavers."

This is the second year MES has partnered with the American Heart Association to incorporate the Heart Heroes Challenge in spirit week activities. Kain said she wanted to tie in the challenge with the school's service projects and character trait of the month. In the past, students have completed projects such as making cards and crafts for local nursing homes, donating blankets to those without homes and fashioning paracords for military personnel.

"It's all about giving back to the local community to be able to show our gratitude for everything it does to support us," Kain said. "I feel it's important for students to understand the perspective of something that's beyond themselves. We hope to continue the challenge annually."