Patricia Edminster, 53, had just finished dancing "The Bump" with a group of teachers during a skit for the pupils when she sat down in the bleachers and lost consciousness.
The school nurse administered CPR on site and paramedics transferred her to Medical College of Georgia Hospital, where she later died, Svehla said.
"Those teachers are devastated," said Craig-Houghton Principal Sophia A. Cogle. "She was very upbeat, always very upbeat, always smiling. If someone else felt sad, she would try to lift their spirits."
The pep rally is a yearly event put on for pupils the afternoon before the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests begin to build encouragement and calm nerves for the high-stakes state exams.
The CRCT began countywide Thursday, but because of Edminster's death, Craig-Houghton officials received permission from the state to postpone the start until today .
"There would be no way that these kids would be able to take that test ( Thursday)," Cogle said.
School psychologists and counselors were on site at the school Thursday to help children cope with the death of their teacher and mentor, whom they knew as "Mrs. E."
Edminster worked as a third-grade teacher and had taught at Craig-Houghton since August 2006.
Because of the large number of pupils Edminster worked with, school officials called every third-grader's parents to notify them.
"We will truly miss her, but we're going to go on," Cogle said. "I told the staff to do everything as Mrs. E would want it to be done. She always gave 150 percent, and we're going to continue to give 150 percent in her honor."
According to her biography on the school's Web site, Edminster was originally from Pennsylvania but lived in North Augusta with her husband of 35 years. She had two children and two grandchildren and enjoyed swimming, watching NASCAR racing and reading good books.
