Rancho Santa Fe student’s heartfelt drawing wins Rady Children’s Kids’ News Day

R. Roger Rowe School held a surprise assembly on Oct. 14 to celebrate second-grader Kate Schneider’s winning entry in the Captain True-Heart contest that supports Kids’ News Day, a benefit for the hospital. Kids’ News Day this year was held on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and for her winning drawing, Kate received an iPad Mini live on NBC 7 News that morning.

“Out of hundreds of drawings, yours floated to the top and was one of the best,” Mary Reynolds from the Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary told a thrilled and shocked Kate in front of her classmates. “What I liked best was that Kate thought Captain True-Heart was a girl.”

After finding out she had won, Kate had a huge smile on her face and said that her “heart was pounding.”

R. Roger Rowe School has always been a big supporter of Kids’ News Day and of Rady.

For the past seven years, Rowe third-graders have been a part of Rady Children’s Miracle Makers fundraising efforts and donated thousands of dollars’ worth of books, games and art supplies for children receiving cancer treatment in the Acute Care Pavilion.

“Rady Children’s Hospital has a special place in our students’, parents’, teachers’ and administrators’ hearts. Rady has treated many of our students for illnesses and broken bones,” said librarian Stacey Halboth.

This year, parent Liz Seltzer brought the Captain True-Heart essay contest to the school. The superhero is in reference to Rady being one of the few hospitals nationwide that performs pediatric heart transplants.

Reynolds said that they received hundreds of entries — kids in grades kindergarten through second grade drew pictures, and students in grades third through fifth wrote essays about Captain True-Heart.

Kate’s drawing showed Captain True-Heart flying through the clouds, her ponytail and cape fluttering in the wind, showering purple hearts down on the city. Kate’s caption read: “Her heart grows bigger every time she saves someone.”

For being the teacher of the winning student, teacher Jessica Henke also received an iPad Mini.