"Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women," Colona said. "More than 950,000 Americans die from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. We try to teach the children how to keep their hearts healthy, live tobacco free, and eat healthy foods."
On a recent evening, about 250 people came to the school to watch three volleyball games that pitted the top three boys and top three girls from each grade level against some of their teachers.
Crystal Blair, who teaches ancient civilizations, saw the game as a way to motivate the kids to work harder to raise money, she said.
"When the students see their teachers doing things, it motivates them to do it," said Blair, who has taught at the school the past seven years. "I wanted to do what I could to encourage them."
The project coordinators selected volleyball because it involves less physical contact than basketball, said Lisa Standish, who has taught sixth-grade language arts for the past 12 years.
As the teachers warmed up to loud music, Charles Spinnato sat on the sidelines anxiously waiting for the game to start.
"My math teacher is playing today," Spinnato said. "She's strong. She does triathlons. She might beat us."
However, Spinnato's pre-game jitters were nothing compared to the challenges the teachers faced while coordinating the program this year. For starters, about 60 percent of the students at the school are new. Many of the new students were redistricted from Fallston High School, which did not participate in Hoops for Heart, said teacher Heather Ingram.
"We had so many students that didn't even know what the program is that we had to find different ways to motivate them," said Ingram, who has been teaching eighth-grade language arts at Bel Air Middle for the past four years. "I knew it would be a challenge, but I have a passion for teaching children to give to others."
Standish said she saw the program as a way to get involved in the greater good.
"A lot of times children think they can't participate in something bigger than them," she said. "So when they actually get to participate in a program like this, it's intoxicating to see their enthusiasm."
Jason Hall became involved with the program because of the impact that heart disease has had on the students, he said.
"When I asked how many kids knew someone who had suffered a heart attack, almost all the hands went up," said Hall, who teaches eighth-grade social studies. "This is a way the kids can make a difference and help with an important cause."
