ORANGE PARK – Lakeside Elementary has put their money – and heart – into the American Heart Association in honor of two of its popular figures.

Brayden Riddle is a third-grade student who’s undergone multiple open-heart surgeries. Jacob Reed’s grandfather, collectively referred to as “Pops” by the entire school, recently had a heart attack. The school, which has fewer than 800 students, worked together to help the two by raising money for the AHA.

“We’ve been doing this for as long as I’ve been here, which is 35 years, and this year, we’ve raised more money than ever before,” physical education teacher Kim Tracanna-Breault said. “I’m not surprised though because this is a very giving student body. It’s a giant family and when we’re committed to something, we’re all committed.”

Principal Dawn Wolfe mentioned the district’s seven mindsets, which is a part of the district’s social-emotional learning culture push, and how last month’s motto was “Live to Give” and that this month’s is “Making a Difference.” Be it irony or coincidence, those are two statements the school has certainly taken to heart this year.

The school is officially done with its fundraising after a strong six weeks and its grand total collected was $18,417.92, which is the most in school history and currently first place in the district. Tracanna-Breault said other schools will probably top them – she mentioned Oakleaf, whose schools have populations reaching more than 1,000 – but she’d be happy to see Lakeside finish second or third.

“It’s really not about the placement or winning though,” Tracanna-Breault said. “I want those titles for our kids here, but at the end of the day, it’s about raising this money in the name of being good and doing good and doing right by [Riddle and Pops].”

The teacher stressed AHA fundraising isn’t just a Lakeside thing. It’s a county-wide drive and it’s not about who is raising the most. It’s about raising money for a good cause and she’s proud Lakeside contributed a fraction of the more than $100,000 raised by the district.

The project coincides with February being American Heart Month.

Tracanna-Breault loves the fundraiser because not only does it raise money for a good cause, it teaches the children how to contribute without realizing it. She said they complete heart-related quizzes and brain-related games to obtain prizes associated with the fundraising and without realizing it, they’re learning so much about those organs and keeping them active and healthy.

She said the goal this year was to raise $6,000, which has been achieved in the past. The students, faculty and parents quickly broke through that ceiling and have broken through eight goals beyond that to reach $18,000.

“I don’t push the students to really hit these high numbers, especially in a year like this where money is tight due to the pandemic and all that,” Tracanna-Breault said. “This was the students and their parents. I talked on Facebook about it and parents would message me and say ‘let’s raise even more’ and it just went from there.

“It’s a testament, really, to this school. The people here are good and they want to help and raise this money. If I hadn’t put an end date to the fundraising, I’m sure they would have kept going.”

Riddle raised $1,040 and Pops’ grandson, Reed, was the top student with $1,500. Other students have raised as much as $830, which is how much Camryn Hiscox raised. Thirty-eight students have raised more than $250. About 60 students raised at least $25 last year, which earned them an invite to an on-campus AHA party with games, food and celebration and more than 130 have raised that much this year. Students that raise $50 got to slime Wolfe and at different fundraising levels above that, the students get to slime other faculty members.

“The P.E. teachers kind of coordinate the event, but I won’t take credit for any of this,” Tracanna-Breault said. “This is a school-wide event and we have the best students, parents and faculty out there. They make this happen.”

Wolfe said Tracanna-Breault is far too humble to mention how much of a role she played in the fundraising. She said the students at the school love and adore their P.E. teacher and for them, fundraising is one part raising enough money to go to the party, slime their teachers and earn prizes, but another part of it is making Tracanna-Breault happy.

“They love her,” Wolfe said. “We’re all family here and she’s been here for 35 years. She’s taught kids, those kids’ kids, and now the grandkids.”

This is Tracanna-Breault’s last full year before she retires in November. The school has raised more money for AHA during her last year than any year before. While she would likely never notice it due to how humble she is in the role, it’s easy to see that her Lakeside family worked hard this year to let her go out with a bang.

“You know, for some students, this school and the people here...that is their family,” Tracanna-Breault said. “That’s what Lakeside Elementary is about too: we’re family. This job, these kids, this faculty...this is my life. I don’t even know what I’m going to do when I retire to be honest. I know this though: I get so much back from these kids and that’s what I’ve loved most about this.”

One of the Oakleaf schools with a population of nearly twice of Lakeside might come back and take first place, but one thing is clear: to everyone at this school, Lakeside Elementary is the winner in their hearts.