Local kids do jumping jacks to break a world record
When Emily Bondarenko and Sophia Model brought a copy of National Geographic Kids Magazine to their 5th grade class, they never thought it would wind up with their entire school helping to break a world record.
But on Wednesday morning, more than 450 students at Joyce Kilmer Elementary School in Buffalo Grove joined schools around the country, helping break the Guinness World Record for the most people doing jumping jacks in 24 hours.
National Geographic was promoting first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign, and the idea fired up the whole school.
“It was interesting to see that what we started turned out like this,” Bondarenko said after the whole school jumped together Wednesday morning. “I was surprised to see how it all worked out.”
The school found that breaking a world record is more complex then they thought. They had to bring in parents and community members to help time the event, count students and make sure the group was following the official criteria. The students lined up in groups of 50 students and jumped together for 60 seconds.
“I've learned a lot about world records,” said Gail Forshall, assistant to the principal. “It's not as easy as I thought, but we wanted to make it happen.”
If the nationwide attempt is successful Kilmer School will get a certificate and be listed in the Guinness World Record book as a participant.
“World record books are always very popular with kids,” Forshall said. “So to be a part of this themselves will be great.”
Before the jumping jacks began, all of the students gathered to take a school picture spelling out JRFH, standing for Jump Rope for Heart, a health initiative the school takes part in every spring. The 5th graders wore red shirts and formed a heart around the other students.
Michelle Obama kicked off the “Let's Jump” challenge on Tuesday afternoon with students in Washington D.C.
Bondarenko and Model said they like Mrs. Obama's Let's Move campaign.
“I like the program she came up with,” Model said. “I think it will make kids know they need to be healthier.”