District News

Elizabeth St. Ours, a Bernardsville Middle School PE Teacher, was nationally recognized as a grant recipient by the American Heart Association. She was awarded $2,400 to purchase equipment for BMS students to promote living healthier lives.

The story actually began last winter when BMS Nurse Suzanne Ryan and St. Ours were contacted by the American Heart Association to take part in their Kids Heart Challenge. Its mission focuses on teaching children and families hands-only CPR. In conjunction with the Heart Healthy Week that BMS hosts every February, St. Ours and Ryan elected to have BMS participate in the 2024 challenge. During PE classes, the entire student body learned the valuable, life-saving skill of immediate hands-only CPR. Following that, families were encouraged to be part of Finn’s Mission, where students completed an online training module at home with their parents; it explained the signs of stroke and two critical steps to take when time is of the essence. 

Unfortunately, 90% of people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside the hospital do not survive. That staggering statistic highlights the importance of the Kids Heart Challenge for the youth of today. And with over 400 BMS students and the majority of their families learning hands-only CPR, our Somerset Hills “community of lifesavers” has thankfully increased.  

All schools that participated in the Kids Heart Challenge were invited to apply for an American Heart Association grant. St. Ours drafted and submitted her proposal in May. Her vision was to incorporate Workout Wednesdays into PE classes where students would infuse lifetime activities into their routines and gain a solid foundation when it comes to moving well. Over the summer, St. Ours received an email from the American Heart Challenge Team at the American Heart Association, sharing that the grant was awarded and that her vision would come to fruition.

St. Ours’ BMS colleagues in the PE Department, which include Ashley Oliveira, Phil Mahlik, and  Michael Filieri, are just as eager to implement Workout Wednesdays later this fall. Once the grant monies are received in October, the equipment order will be placed through the Business Office. “As a team we are excited to show, along with the physical education curriculum and traditional sports, how moving one’s body can involve activities like daily walks, gardening, pickleball, yoga, and more,” shared St. Ours. “We want to boost confidence in all of our students and magnify the idea that moving can be done by all, and is beneficial to all.”

"I applaud Mrs. St. Ours and Mrs. Ryan for their commitment to lifelong health, and for helping to instill that within our school community in multiple ways,” said BMS Principal Lisa Garofalo. “It is never too soon to promote healthy habits." In addition to the recent challenge and grant, a BMS fundraiser last year collected $1,400 which was donated to the American Heart Association.