REPRESENTATIVES from the Boston Bruins Foundation, National Grid and Blue Cross Blue Shield presented Huckleberry Hill School with a $3,000 donation during a health and wellness assembly on Feb. 26. Kneeling in front is Johnny Moran. Second row, from left, Jonathan Randall, Porter Pegoraro, Marcus Guiliano, Anzo Lee, Ava Gemmill and Parker Beal. Back row, from left, Huckleberry Hill Principal Lauren King, Boston Bruins Foundation President Bob Sweeney, Blue Cross Blue Shield Client Relationship Consultant for Labor Affairs Steve Dion, National Grid representative Cami Makula, National Grid Director Joe Carroll and Boston Bruins Foundation Health, Wellness and Fitness Director John Whitesides. (Dan Tomasello Photo)
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Huckleberry Hill School’s gym was transformed into a sea of black and gold during a Boston Bruins Foundation-sponsored health and wellness assembly on Feb. 26.
Principal Lauren King informed the Villager that the Horne family won the BFit Hat Trick for Health Contest, and Huckleberry Hill was one of six elementary schools that received a $3,000 donation along with a BFit School Assembly that was sponsored by National Grid and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
“It was amazing and exciting,” said King.
Boston Bruins Foundation President Bob Sweeney, who played forward with the team from 1986-1992, agreed.
“We created a health and wellness program for school assemblies about nine years ago,” said Sweeney in an interview with the Villager after the assembly. “It has really expanded. We have great partners with National Grid and Blue Cross Blue Shield to make these all possible.”
Boston Bruins captain/left winger Brad Marchand addressed Huckleberry Hill School students and staff in a video because he was unable to attend the assembly.
“I want to make sure you get outside and stay fit,” said Marchand in the video.
Sweeney was blown away by the large number of students, teachers and staff members wearing Bruins and black and gold attire.
“Give yourselves a round of applause,” said Sweeney during the assembly.
Sweeney noted that a number of former Bruins players previously lived in town.
“There were so many Bruins players who lived in Lynnfield,” said Sweeney. “We used to practice in Danvers and then Wilmington. Lynnfield is a great Bruins community. We are happy to be here. All of you are so fortunate. This gymnasium is beautiful and you have a great school. We are fortunate to partner with National Grid and Blue Cross Blue Shield to be able to come to your school.”
Sweeney said it’s important for students to be “mentally fit and physically fit.”
“You are in school to learn and get an education,” said Sweeney. “You also have to stay active. It’s very important to get outside and stay active. You can throw a ball around or run around and play tag. It’s very important to stay active to keep your muscles strong. Just keep moving all the time.”
Sweeney said the $3,000 donation from the Boston Bruins Foundation will be used to help support Huckleberry Hill’s physical education program.
“It’s for whatever you need,” said Sweeney.
King concurred with Sweeney’s viewpoint.
“I am going to talk to our physical education staff and see if we need any more equipment for the gym, recess or anything that will keep the kids active,” said King in an interview with the Villager.
Sweeney said during the assembly that Huckleberry Hill School will have an opportunity to win a $30,000 grand prize donation at the end of the academic year.
“Thank you so much for letting us come to your school today,” said Sweeney. “Thank you for being such big Bruins’ supporters.”
Boston Bruins Foundation Health, Fitness and Wellness Director John Whitesides recalled that he previously served as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.
“We worked a lot on mental fitness and physical fitness with the players to have success,” said Whitesides. “Success just doesn’t happen. It has to be built. It’s tough, but you have to work at it. It’s just like building a house. If you don’t have a good foundation under you, it breaks and falls down.”
Whitesides also explained how the students can be successful.
“What you look like does not make you successful,” said Whitesides. “How smart you are does not make you successful. Your athletic ability does not make you successful. And even where you are from does not make you successful. Working hard, perseverance and grit makes you successful. You have to work hard to have longtime success. You have to tell yourself, ‘the harder I work; the better I am going to get.’”
Whitesides asked the students if it was “okay to fail.” The students shouted “yes.”
“It is alright to fail,” said Whitesides. “It’s good for your brain. You have to tell yourself it is not a permanent position when you don’t do something right. You need to tell yourself if you work harder, you are going to get better at it.”
Former Boston Bruins goalie and current NESN analyst Andrew Raycroft discussed the importance of nutrition.
“It’s awesome to be here today,” said Raycroft. “I get to do these school visits quite often and the best part about it for me is talking to kids about nutrition. What we are putting in our bodies on a daily basis affects our mood, our energy levels, our ability to focus and our ability to perform in school. We have to keep ourselves healthy.”
Raycroft said his favorite food is chocolate chip cookies, and he asked the students if it was okay to eat cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The students shouted “no.”
“Small changes equal big differences,” said Raycroft. “That is what we can do with our nutrition. If we eat healthier foods on a daily basis, it all adds up. Apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, broccoli and carrots are all colorful foods. The more colorful our plate is, the healthier it is for you.”
Raycroft encouraged the Huckleberry Hill students to eat healthy snacks such as cheese sticks, fruit, vegetables, hardboiled eggs, nuts and yogurt.
“Instead of having a bag of chips or chocolate chip cookies, make sure you have healthy snacks that will fill you up,” said Raycroft. “What we are drinking is just as important as what we are eating. You need to drink lots of water. When we are inside this gymnasium or outside at recess, we are losing water when we get hot and sweaty. If we are losing water and we fill ourselves back up with soda and sugary drinks, we are going to have a low energy level and not feel as good. It’s important to drink a lot of water.”
National Grid Director Joe Carroll warned the students about the dangers of carbon monoxide. He said carbon monoxide detectors are used to detect the poisonous gas because “we can’t smell it and can’t see it.”
Lynnfield Firefighter/Paramedic Brendan Henehan encouraged students not to bully people and avoid other types of unacceptable behaviors such as physically and verbally hurting people. He said bullying is “hurtful” and is “an abusive of power.”
“We need to stick up for others,” said Henehan. “If you see something, say something.”
Boston Bruins mascot Blades made a special appearance during the BFit School Assembly, and he received a thunderous round of applause from students and staff when he entered Huckleberry Hill’s gym.
Blades led the students while doing jumping jacks and pushups. Blades also moonlighted as a goalie, and allowed students and staff to take shots against him. A large number of students and staff found the back of the net, including King.
“It was one of the best moments of the year so far,” said King.
Sweeney said it was a lot of fun participating in the BFit School Assembly at Huckleberry Hill School.
“It was great to be at a school with so many Bruins fans and people excited about the Bruins,” said Sweeney.
King said the assembly was a great way to teach students about the importance of health and wellness.
“I think the kids learned so much from it,” said King.