Ypsilanti - East School

2007/2008 Project Healthy Schools Year in Review

Project Healthy Schools (PHS) introduced these 5 goals at East in November, 2007, to the students and staff:

• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Make better beverage choices
• Include at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week
• Eat less fast and fatty food
• Spend less time in front of the TV and computer

East Middle School 6th graders and school staff members learned about each goal this year in a variety of ways!

Goal 1: Eat more fruits and vegetables
Fall PHS Kickoff (PHS staff)

• Fruit and vegetable ‘people
• EMU student athlete talked about how they worked fruits and vegetables in to their daily eating.

Classroom Activities (taught during Study Skills by Katey Burress):

• My Pyramid – talked about the fruit and vegetable groups and how to identify healthier food choices in each group. 
• More My Pyramid – Charting school lunches students discovered that fruit and vegetables were a part of every school meal
• Assessing Advertising – fruits and vegetables are advertised much less often than high calorie foods that are low in nutrients.
• A Rainbow of Color- Students participated in creating a salsa using vegetables and fruits.  They sampled the salsa with blue chips.
• Better Beverages – 100% fruit juice was a healthier choice than fruit drinks or beverages, such as Sunny D since they do not have added sugar

Bulletin Board in 6th grade Commons Area (PHS staff)

• Display of pictures of 6th graders and a quote from them sharing their favorite fruit or vegetable.

Food and Fitness Tracker

• One of the three weeks of the tracker was devoted to recording lunch time fruit and vegetable choices.

Goal 2:  Make Better Beverage Choices
Classroom Activities

• Portion Distortion –There are more than  9 teaspoons of sugar in a 12 ounce can of pop and about 18 teaspoons or more than ¼ cup of sugar in a 24 ounce soda pop. Alternatives such as water, low fat milk and diet soda pop don’t contain added sugar and are lower in calories. The average size of a drink has increased from 6 ounces in the 1950s to 24 ounces today.  We are drinking lots more calories than we did fifty years ago.
• Better Beverages – Various beverages from energy drinks, to soda pop, to milk to water were compared for added sugar, calories and fat content.  Water, low fat milk and small amounts of 100% juice were the best choices.
• Prairie Farms brought in a pop singer to promote milk through her songs. 

Food and Fitness Tracker

• Students recorded their ‘healthy’ lunch beverage choices to earn point on their trackers.

SuperSize Me DVD and discussion (PHS developed a chapter and discussion guide, Ms Burress led the discussion with the students.)

• After watching SuperSize Me students used the PHS discussion guide to further understanding of the DVD’s concepts. 
• PHS is donating the educational version to the library

Goal 3:  Include at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week
Fall PHS Kickoff

• EMU athletes shared about active they are in their sports and what they did as 6th graders.

Classroom Activities

• Overview and Physical Activity – Strength training, stretching/flexibility and aerobic activity are introduced as the main types of exercise.  To stay in good shape get at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week and more activity is better!
• Get the Beat – After walking slowly, running, doing jumping jacks, doing sit up, or standing still students compared their 1 minute pulse rates.  The more active you are the higher your pluse rate.  Increasing your heart rate strengthens you heart if you keep moving for 20 minutes.  Working in at least 30 minutes of vigorous, heart-thumping activity most days makes your heart stronger.  Fit people are active people.
• Reducing Screen Time – A list of alternatives to watching TV is developed and physical activity such as a bike ride or playing outside is always on the list.  The 30 – 60 minutes/day goal is emphasized again.

Food and Fitness Tracker

• Students track their minutes of after-school activity for one week to earn points.

Bulletin Board in 6th grade Commons Area (PHS staff)

• Display of pictures of ways to get more physical activity.

Larger Group Activities

• During Encore time students participated in two large group activities focusing on activity
• Stretching/Flexibility – Students moved through stations seeing and trying Pilates and yoga positions. 
• Strength Training – You don’t need to belong to a gym to do strength training.  Using stretchy bands and loops, weighted balls and stability balls students experience a variety of exercises to strengthen their upper and lower bodies.
• ACES, All Children Exercising Simultaneously – Ms Burress had each Study Skills class participate in physical activity at the beginning of class on May 7.

Goal 4:  Eat less fast and fatty food
Fall PHS Kickoff

• EMU athletes shared how they make healthier decisions at fast food restaurants.

Classroom Activities

• My Pyramid – The base of the Pyramid is where the healthier foods, the ones lower in fat are found.  So baked fish would be near the base while fried fish would be near the tip of MyPyramid. Healthier choices that are lower in fat can be found in every food group.  
• Portion Distortion - .Pictures showing the size of common foods  20 years ago and today point out a large increase in calories and fat.  Snack foods add lots of calories and fat, too.  Breaking packages into single serving baggies is one way to decrease how much is eaten.  
• Assessing Advertising – Foods that are high in fat and calories are often advertised more than healthier foods plus they dress foods up to make them look better than really look. .  Advertising tricks such as bright colors, lots of action, strange sounds, celebrity spokesperson push these foods and try to get us to buy certain products.  Advertisers don’t think about what is best for your health when are trying to sell their product in a commercial.
• The Facts on Fat – Sixth graders typically need 1800-2000 calories and less than 65 grams of fat in one day but one fast food meal can easily have 1000 calories  and more than 2/3 of your fat intake.  Wow!  Healthier choices can happen.  Have you thought about:
• Ordering only the  small sizes,
• Share fries with a friend,
• Choose burgers with single meat pattie and skip the sauce or the cheese
• Grilled sandwiches are a healthier choice than fried sandwiches
• Ask for a low fat milk
• Try a salad but watch the toppings and the dressing.  Use just a little.
• Ask to see the nutrition information or look online before you go.

Bulletin Board in 6th grade Commons Area (PHS staff)

• Display of MyPyraid and healthier food choices.

Goal 5:  Spend less time in front of the TV and computer
Fall PHS Kickoff

• EMU athletes share with students how little time the have for TV but how little they miss it.

Classroom Activities

• Reducing Screen Time – Figuring out the class average for daily screen time is an eye-opener.  The average 8-18 hear old spends nearly 4 hours watching TV, videos, DVDs or pre-recorded show plus just over an hour on the computer and about 50 minute playing video games.  That’s about 6 hours of screen time a day!  Students share their household rules and they find out lots of other students have rules, too.  Looking to decrease the time spent in front of a screen at your house?  Take the TV, computer or video game console out of the bedroom.  Try Turn Off the TV activities next April. 

Additional Activities

• 75  6th graders with parental consent participated in the Heart Healthy Screening and questionnaires  in the fall and spring.  Staff and parents were able to participate in the fall screening.  Ms Burress sent students to be screened from her Study Skills classroom
• East was awarded a MI Healthy School Environmental 3rd place award
• Discussed steps we would need to follow to plan a 6th grade end-of-the-year activity day with a group of 6th grade teachers
• Distributed flyers to staff and parents of upcoming health-related events
• Several PHS updates included in school newsletters
• Featured Food and Fitness Tracker winners on in-house TV
• East Middle School has its’ own webpage at the http://www.projecthealthyschools.org website
• Relationship with Wellness Center helped further PHS goals

A special thanks to:

• Jerry Fouchey for being my contact and coordinator at East.  He solved logistical issues, answered numerous questions and email messages, assisted me with getting to know the school staff and lots more!
  
• Katey Burress led the 10 PHS activities in her Study Skills room so all the 6th graders received the education portion of PHS.  She made time for the SuperSize Me DVD and facilitate the discussion that followed.  She administered the PHS questionnaires in the fall and spring, collected forms in the fall and made sure the appropriate students made it to the Heart Healthy Screenings in the fall and spring.
  
• Jan Sturdivant for making it possible for Project Healthy Schools to be at East Middle school. 

Questions about Project Healthy Schools?  Contact Cathy Fitzgerald, MA, RD;
Project Healthy Schools Wellness Coordinator, 734-975-3060 or cfitz@umich.edu