Through the work of a now-retired teacher and the support of the entire school, has raised close to $100,000 for the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart program.
The organization has been grateful for the school's effort and is looking to later this school year honor retired teacher Mike Casey for leading the school's annual fundraiser.
But there is one problem.
According to the American Heart Association's local branch, Portola has been the only school participating in the program over the years and the organization is looking for more schools to jump on board.
"We'd love to see more schools in the district participate," said Jessica Broussard, the youth market director for the American Heart Association's Western States Affiliate. "We don't expect to see the same level of participation, but we'd just like to see other schools join them."
Portola has been participating in Jump Rope for Heart for nearly 30 years, raising between $5,000 and $7,000 each time, Broussard said.
That is a remarkable accomplishment, she said. But school districts in other cities usually have several schools participating, so the San Bruno Park School District is in a unique situation.
Broussard made some remarks at the last school board meeting, encouraging the school district to make more of an effort to participate in the health and fitness program.
She said participating is easy, and the organization provides learning materials—and jump ropes, of course—to make the event fun and educational.
High schools can also participate, she added.
For more information about Jump Rope for Heart in San Bruno, email Jessica Broussard at jessica.broussard@heart.org.
Each school is different and unique and what they choose to support is to.