(ABC 6 News-) St. Ansgar Elementary has been deemed a heart-healthy school by the American Heart Association for another year.

This is in thanks to the efforts of it’s students in a springtime fundraiser that exceeded all expectations.

The school’s physical education teacher, Eric Kline, set a goal for the students to raise $1,500 for the American Heart Association and he’d get slimed. They raised $8,343.38.

One student, Lucas Jorgensen, said he was inspired by the story of Finn, a pediatric heart patient and third grader like him.

“His heart was probably the size of your thumb when he was a kid, and he had 17 procedures,” said Jorgensen.

Jorgensen raised nearly $1,000 by knocking doors and asking family members to pitch in to the cause.

“It’s all to the amazing St. Ansgar people that helped me get to $1000, and some family from out of town too…I just wanted to help out,” he said.

Kline, ever the good sport, agreed that, since the fundraising efforts exceeded expectations, he would let Mrs. Kline shave his beard in front of the students, and have a silly string shooting gallery.

The springtime heart unit focuses on heart-healthy daily activity, balanced meals, and has the students learn chest-compression CPR.

“Although young children do not have the strength to perform correct chest compressions, they can learn the basic information about what to do if someone suddenly collapses,” read a newsletter published by the American Heart Association last year.

“As part of educating children about life-saving skills, teach young children how to assess for consciousness and normal breathing … The AHA believes that no one is too young or too old to learn about CPR, AEDs, and what cardiac arrest is,”

“We believe that this statement can help us outline for students, parents, teachers, staff and leadership, just how important kids are in saving lives.”