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School has ‘Heart Attack'
Thursday, March 13, 2008
WEST BOYLSTON - Instead of being told that foods laden with high cholesterol can damage your heart, students at the middle/high school can learn about cholesterol through game playing. Last week, 28 copies of the " Heart Attack" game were donated to the school to be used in the health and science curricula. West Boylston joins over 150 school districts in Massachusetts and 42 states countrywide that have the game as part of the curriculum. Copies of the game have also made it to the United Kingdom and Kenya. The games were donated to the West Boylston Middle/High School by Clinton Savings Bank, Commerce Bank, Lajoie Investigations and Webster First Federal Credit Union. The easy to play game takes players on a walk through life that teaches them how the choices they make affect their heart and their health. Starting in the delivery room, players move around a board shaped like two hearts, adding or taking away cholesterol sticks to their heart, sometimes visiting the hospital, operating room or intensive care unit. Inventor John Blanchette was at the school last week for a formal presentation of the games to the school. "I invented the game to help players learn what they should and should not do, to help them stay healthy," Blanchette said. Blanchette said all the directions for the game are on the board, making it simple to play. "Kids really gravitate towards it," Blanchette said. "The information is put forth in a non-threatening way." In addition to pointing out the benefits of healthy eating and exercise and the negative effects of poor choices, the game also shows how circumstances can impact heart health. "There are heart cards that say `must enter hospital now,'" Blanchette said. "There's one for bungee jumping, and another for a tax audit." Teacher Jodie Howard played the game with the students in her anatomy and physiology class. "It's a nice way to apply what they're learning," Howard said. "It's a nice fit with what we're discussing right now." The game "Heart Attack" retails for $29.95 and can be purchased through the game's website, www.heartattackgame.com or at the Learning Express store in Holden. ART: PHOTO PHOTOG: Banner photo/SANDY MEINDERSMA CUTLINE: Local business donated 28 copies of the game " Heart Attack" to the West Boylston Middle/High School last week. On hand were (from left): game inventor John Blanchette, student Kelly Samia, school nurse Nancy Paige and game company spokesman Gary Librandi.
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