Hundreds of “busy bees” swarmed Edgewood Elementary’s cafeteria Thursday, as pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students danced and chanted during the school’s Alabama Reading and Math Testing Plus Pep Rally. Several grades will participate in ARMT Plus testing next week.

Edgewood principal Joe Peterson Jr. said the purpose of Thursday’s event was to encourage students to do their very best.

“We are here this afternoon to make sure our students — third graders, fourth graders and fifth graders, understand that we support them 100 percent,” Peterson said. “We’re all on the same team. We want to make sure we make AYP (adequate yearly progress) and do our best on the ARMT Plus test.”

Students in each represented grade made up their own “chants of support” to encourage their fellow students. Students also celebrated their achievement of raising more than $3,000, surpassing last year’s amount of $2,000, for the American Heart Association through its “Jump Rope for Heart” event.

Program coordinator Yulanda Mason said students had less than one month to raise the money.

“We help the American Heart Association help find cures for heart disease and stroke,” Mason said. “We collect money all month long and on March 23, the students come in by grade level, jump rope, Hula-Hoop — any exercise to get their heart pumping. The kids really look forward to it every year.”

For their reward, students were able to see their teachers throw water balloons at the principal by the event’s end.

Peterson said he believes events like this are important to students’ continued success.

“We feel like our kids need that inspiration and motivation. We don’t want it to go unsaid that we appreciate their hard work,” Peterson said. “We want to stress the fact it is important they perform at their best no matter what.”