Members of the Project Adam NC team from Duke Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center recently visited the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District to oversee drills performed by Cardiac Emergency Response Teams at each of the district’s eight sites. 

These drills were the last requirement the district had to meet to become designated as a Heart Safe School District. 

The sudden cardiac arrest drills simulated a cardiac emergency and allowed each team to gain experience in responding to such an emergency.

Sara Council, director of student services for RRGSD, has worked closely since March with Danielle Sturckey, a pediatric nurse practitioner at the Duke Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center and program coordinator for Project ADAM in North Carolina. 

This successful partnership led to RRGSD being the first school district in the state to be designated as heart-safe. 

Dr. Salim Idriss and Leslie Pace, a registered nurse, were on hand during the drills to provide feedback and present banners at all of the district sites. 

“We are proud to say that RRGSD is the first district in North Carolina to be designated as heart-safe,” Council said. “The feedback received from highly-qualified doctors and nurses from Duke Medical Center was positive and reflective of the hard work that RRGSD has put forth in receiving this designation.” 

Idriss said, “We are very happy and proud that RRGSD has met Project Adam criteria to be designated as a heart-safe district. It’s fantastic that all staff are CPR trained across the school district, which makes not only the schools safer, but also helps the community.” 

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Pull Together! Campaign

Students and staff in the district are collecting pop tabs to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Durham and Wake.  

The Pull Together! campaign supports the families of seriously ill and injured children who require frequent treatment or in-hospital stays by offering residential and hospital-based programs.

At the House, families have private bedrooms, a well-stocked kitchen, dinners provided by community organizations, laundry facilities, and play areas. 

There are also bingo nights, movie nights, holiday events, and other entertainment provided which helps to ease the burden of being away from home.

The pop tabs are sold by weight to offset the $100 per night cost of family stays, which are free for those who cannot afford to pay.  

The house makes about $10,000 a year from pop tabs recycling.

Pull Together! includes all types of pop tabs: drink tabs, soup tabs, mushroom can tabs, potted meat tabs, pet food tabs, and more. 

Manning Elementary has been collecting pop tabs for decades in honor and memory of Bryan Moore, one of their own, who stayed in the Ronald McDonald House in Durham and started collecting tabs as a preschooler.  

The campaign will last all year with collection centers at each school district site.