Projects are challenges that are readily accepted and conquered by GLSD students. Projects allow students to show their knowledge in creative ways.

Mrs. Levan, anatomy teacher, had 59 students create unique projects for the Golden Hour heart fair. Excela Health sponsored this event as a scholarship program. The projects were presented at the Center for Student Creativity on February 13, and three judges independently evaluated the winners of the competition based on a rubric.

The “Golden Hour” refers to the crucial hour of medical help right after a person has had a heart attack or a stroke. The goal is to teach the message of the Golden Hour to family and friends.

Rachael Blissman, a junior, had one of the winning projects at the heart fair. Blissman was inspired to create an old-fashioned television when her mother commented that the “Golden Hour” sounded like a television show. Levan said, “ I love the TV set. I’ve seen hundreds of projects over the years, and that one was very unique.”

Blissman explained the inner workings of her project. Blissman said, “I placed pictures on a long piece of butcher paper with images and information attached to spindles inside of the television so that when the crank is turned on the top, the pictures scroll across the screen.”

Blissman had many ideas and thoughts in her scrolling television. She included the signs and symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, causes of heart attacks and how they develop, risk factors, how to prevent heart attacks and strokes, and what to do if you see someone who has symptoms.

Certain qualifications had to be met for the project. Creativity was a big qualification, and students were required to think outside the box. The scoring rubric from Excela Health highlights the major criterion. “One was to spread awareness about the importance of getting someone who has a stroke or heart attack symptoms medical help within the hour,” stated Blissman.

Blissman was motivated to create a winning project. “The biggest incentive was to spread the word about the Golden Hour to other students and the community. It’s a really important message to be aware of,” she said.

Megan Reyes and Laurel Prengaman, seniors, had the other winning project which was a scrapbook detailing the same information as Blissman.  In their scrapbook, the pair utilized different colors to distinguish the heart attack information from the stroke information. Along with the basic criterion, Reyes and Prengaman created two symmetrical pages illustrating the two different types of strokes.

Reyes and Prengaman were surprised to win. Prengaman said, “We were extremely proud of the finished product.”  The eye-pleasing scrapbook illustrated that teamwork can be just as successful as working solo.

As the winners of the schools contest, Blissman and the Reyes-Prengaman team both move on to the regional contest that will be held in April. The victor of this stage will be awarded a $1000 scholarship.