Parkes Public School will always be one jump ahead of the rest of Australia’s schools as the only participant to take part in the Heart Foundation’s Jump Rope for Heart every year since its inception in 1983.
On Wednesday 435 students skipped the morning away celebrating its 35th annual Jump Off day.
“It is an event embedded into our school culture with the date set on our calendar every year,” said Principal Ben Smith.
“There are so many benefits, with great community participation in the Jump Off, it encourages a healthy lifestyle for students and results in greater focus in the classroom.
And the kids love it with every single student taking part, including students in the support classes.”
More than 90% of Australian schools have participated in the annual event with more than 300,000 students in over 1,300 schools taking part each year.
“This is one of the best jump off days I have ever been to,” said Heart Foundation Jump Rope Field Officer Alex Fernandez.
“It was very structured with lots of skipping workshops and all the students had a great time showing off their skills and celebrating this unique milestone.”
For Wiradjuri language teacher Lionel Lovett it was a special celebration as he used to take part in the annual event when he was at Parkes Public.
Heart Foundation Chief Executive Officer NSW, Kerry Doyle thanked and congratulated Parkes Public School for its extraordinary long-running commitment. “It is a wonderful achievement.”