Rockwall ISD student Chelsie Wood wins Super Bowl tickets after Hands-Only CPR

Chelsie Wood, a student in Rockwall ISD, earned two tickets to Super Bowl LX after being named one of five national student winners in the American Heart Association and NFL Foundation Kids Heart Challenge. The prize recognizes students who complete the program’s online Hands-Only CPR learning module during the 2024-25 school year and highlights local efforts to teach lifesaving skills.

School leaders, the NFL Foundation and the American Heart Association surprised Chelsie at an assembly at Dorothy Smith Pullen Elementary in early September 2025. Hundreds of students watched as Dallas Cowboys mascot Rowdy joined the presentation, and Chelsie accepted the prize alongside her parents, Clint Wood and Julie Wood. Rockwall ISD Communications Team provided images of the moment credited to the district.

Chelsie said, “My favorite football team is the Cowboys. I don't know how I feel about the Super Bowl because I've never been, but I'm really excited about it.” The recognition follows Chelsie’s participation in the Kids Heart Challenge; local reporting notes she learned hands-only CPR last year through the program while she attended Celia Hays Elementary School. The effort carries personal weight for Chelsie: her uncle died of a heart attack, and her father has a defibrillator, underscoring why CPR education matters to families in Rockwall County.

The national program aims to expand youth CPR knowledge and the NFL Foundation has renewed support for the 2025-2026 school year. Under the renewed effort, five student participants will receive tickets to Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and five schools will receive $10,000 fitness equipment makeovers. Entries for the 2025-26 cycle are available to students who complete the Hands-Only CPR module called Finn’s Mission; parents and school administrators can learn how to enroll through the American Heart Association’s schools webpage.

For Rockwall County, the story is both celebratory and practical. A local student’s national recognition brings positive attention to district health initiatives and provides a concrete example for other students of how completing a short, online lifesaving lesson can lead to broader community benefits. Teachers and school nurses who promote the Kids Heart Challenge can point to Chelsie’s experience as proof that the program engages students and raises awareness about heart health.

For parents and school leaders seeking more information, media contact for the American Heart Association is Lindsey Lyons Jones at Lindsey.LyonsJones@Heart.org or 214-441-4114. Public inquiries can call 1-800-AHA-USA1. As the program continues through 2025-26, Rockwall schools have an opportunity to build on Chelsie Wood’s example by enrolling students in the Finn’s Mission Hands-Only CPR module and competing for school-level incentives and recognition.