Meet the Elementary School That Banned ‘Junk Food’ & Requires Parents to Sign a Health Conract
- Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:32am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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Naomi Woods, left, eats lunch with her classmates at Northeast Elementary Magnet, in Danville, Ill. The curriculum at the public school is focused on health and wellness, and families have to sign a contract agreeing to abide by that. School lunches are low-fat or no-fat, with fresh fruit or veggies every day, and no dessert. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
DANVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Five-year-olds dance hip-hop to the alphabet. Third-graders learn math by twisting into geometric shapes, fifth-graders by calculating calories. And everyone goes to the gym – every day.
In the middle of America’s heartland, a small public school, Northeast Elementary Magnet School, has taken on a hefty task – reversing obesity.
And it’s won a gold medal for it, becoming the first elementary school in the country to receive that award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The Alliance was founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation to reduce childhood obesity. Only two other schools have taken the gold.
The cafeteria here serves fresh fruit and veggies, low-fat or no-fat milk, no sodas or fried foods and no gooey desserts. There are no sweets on kids’ birthdays and food is never used as a reward. Teachers wear pedometers and parents have to sign a contract committing to the school’s healthy approach.
Northeast Elementary is not in some posh, progressive suburb. It’s in Danville, Ill., an economically struggling city of 30,000 in farm country some 150 miles south of Chicago. But teachers, parents and students have embraced the rigorous curriculum and kids even call it “fun.”
From the outside, it‘s a drab 50’s-era yellow brick building in a blue-collar neighborhood of modest frame homes, a few blocks from a homeless shelter and a Salvation Army donation center. Inside, it‘s a cheerful oasis for almost 300 kids and has caught the attention of some of the nation’s biggest obesity-fighting advocates.
Former President Bill Clinton says the steps Northeast has taken are an exemplary way to tackle “a terrible public health problem.”
“We will never change it by telling people how bad it is. We’ve got to show people how good it can be,” Clinton said, paraphrasing a colleague at the Alliance’s June awards ceremony in Little Rock, Ark.
Northeast’s strict, no-goodies program might sound extreme, but students seem to have bought it.
During a recent nutrition lesson, first-graders sat raptly on the hallway floor as a teacher read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” a classic kids‘ story about a caterpillar that can’t seem to stop eating – all kinds of fruit at first. But when the bug moved on to chocolate cake and ice cream, the youngsters gasped and said in hushed tones, “junk food,” as if it were poison.
“We’re a healthy school,” says 10-year-old Naomi Woods, a shy, slim fifth-grader. “We’re not allowed to eat junk food or stuff like that.”
Sandy-haired Timothy Mills, a fourth-grader, says the focus “just keeps us more fit, plus we have a lot more fun.”
Like Mills, an earnest, heavy-set 9-year-old, Northeast kids aren’t all skinny. Even some kindergartners are clearly overweight. But they still jump enthusiastically to the alphabet song, and though chubbier kids struggle to run around the football field during gym class, there doesn’t seem to be much grumbling.
Physical education teacher Becky Burgoyne said it’s sometimes tough to get kids of “all different shapes and sizes” to be physically active.
“I just ask that students do their best and improve on what they can already do,” Burgoyne said.
Some schools “may have physical education twice a week, once a week, and that’s not acceptable. Children need to move,” she said. “To have a healthy body is to have a healthy brain and therefore they become better at reading and math and science. It all works together.”
The students mostly mirror Danville and surrounding Vermilion County – generally poorer, less healthy than the state average, with many families struggling with obesity and related problems.
The percentage of overweight kids at Northeast increased in 2009, the program’s third year, but dropped slightly last year, to 32 percent; 17 percent are obese. Those are similar to national figures, Principal Cheryl McIntire said. With only three years of data, it’s too soon to call the slight dip in the percentage of overweight children a trend. But she considers it a promising sign, and there’s no question that the children are learning healthy habits.
In a recent math class, fifth grade teacher Lisa Unzicker explained how food labels can be misleading by listing only calories per serving, not per container. Pointing to an image of a pretzel bag label projected on a screen at the front of the classroom, she taught students to figure out how many calories are in a whole bag, based on the amount in each serving.
You have to be careful about potato chips and candy bars, she told the class. “This is why it pays to be a very conscious consumer.”
Teachers and parents credit McIntire for the school’s success. The principal joined Northeast in 2008, a year after the staff moved to adopt the healthy focus, and has made it her mission to instill that mantra.
McIntire literally “walks the walk.” When students need a talking-to, she walks to their classrooms and escorts them to and from her office rather than just messaging for them. When it’s her turn for recess duty, she walks with her pedometer around the school’s big field instead of standing on the sidelines. She recalls a student recently calling out, “Hey, Mrs. McIntire, are you doing your steps?”
McIntire is closely involved with choosing school menus and secured money from the state and local school district that have paid for fresh produce, including things like kiwi fruit that many children have never seen before.
A recent lunch menu featured whole-grain, reduced-fat cheese pizza, broccoli and cauliflower buds, sweet corn, chilled pears, low-fat pudding, and 1 percent low-fat milk.
McIntire has changed her own eating habits, giving up potato chips and shedding 15 pounds since last year.
Tall, slender and a youthful 56, McIntire guides Northeast with a firm but loving hand. She greets students by name each morning, helps with untied shoelaces, and offers hugs. And she scolds kids who have messy uniforms or are rude to their classmates.
School hallways feature signs about good food choices and being healthy, and a poster about the Alliance’s gold award is prominently displayed near the school office.
The Alliance established a Healthy Schools’ program in 2006, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It helps schools that want to become healthier and meet alliance criteria for winning medals. More than 500 schools have won bronze and silver awards. Those gold medals are tougher to come by. Memorial High School in West New York, N.J., was the first school in the country ever to win a gold. Last year, Northeast became the first elementary school to do that. Rio Hondo Elementary in suburban Los Angeles is the latest to win it.
Ginny Ehrlich, chief executive officer for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation says of Northeast, “They truly stand out.“ The school has done a remarkable job of making ”healthy eating and activity the norm.”
Since Northeast is a magnet school, students have to apply to attend, although they don’t need to test in. Besides committing to the healthy mindset, parents must volunteer 26 hours at the school each year.
“There certainly are people who are much more invested than others, but we have gotten so much positive feedback from parents,” McIntire said.
In her first year, McIntire recruited students by posting advertisements in the local newspaper. “I don’t need to do that anymore,” she said. For the current school year, there were more than 80 applications for 48 kindergarten slots.
“We have people calling everyday wondering if their child can get in,” she said.
Shelbi Black says Northeast has had an “amazing, life-altering” influence on her kids, 10-year-old Kayla and Carter, 5. They’ve come home requesting fruits and vegetables they used to reject. Carter was thrilled to make frozen fruit shish kebobs in school, and Kayla “was so excited the other day because she made her goal in running the mile and she was so happy that she knocked down her time from last year,” Black said.
Tim Mills’ mom, Charlyn Hester, says since the school adopted the healthy program, her family has switched from eating lots of convenience foods to lean grass-fed beef and lots of fruits and vegetables. Her oldest daughter, a recent Northeast graduate, has slimmed down and Hester says she thinks Tim and his 11-year-old sister will, too. Hester herself has lost almost 100 pounds since 2009.
The family’s grocery bills are higher, but Hester, a freelance writer, says she and her husband, a security officer, have decided it’s worth spending more on food and forgoing things like a new car, for their kids’ health.
“It’s not necessarily a financial hardship, but it’s certainly an investment,” she said.
Health department officials say they have not calculated obesity rates for children in Danville and the county. Psychologist Richard Elghammer, who works with a large rural health clinic in Danville, says about one-third of the kids treated there are overweight or obese – similar to the national average. National data suggest that the county’s obesity rate alone for adults, about 32 percent, is also similar to the national average. About two-thirds of adults are overweight.
But Vermilion County rates of obesity-related illness including heart disease are higher, and more than 80 percent of county residents don’t eat government-recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, according to national surveys.
Dr. Thomas Halloran, an internist who treats adults in Danville, has been working to provide financial support and resources to Northeast, through his medical group, Carle Clinic. Halloran says many of his patients have diabetes and other illnesses tied to a lifetime of obesity and poor health habits. By instilling healthy habits in kids starting in kindergarten, the school is making an important contribution to the community’s health, Halloran said.
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Comments (138)
raderby
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:27amMichelle O? please. Shining picture of health? Not really. That moon keeps getting in the way of me having a good look. Again, it is a lie, and an attempt to control and program the masses to do what elites like Michelle wants- P-R-O-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E-S – nuff said.
Report Post »Keaneba
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:27amWow. It seems there is a lot of emphasis on healthy eating at that school. I’m curious, though. The story makes NO MENTION on how much LEARNING is going on in that school. How do the kids do on tests compared with other schools? How proficient are they in math, english, science, and history? It seems to me that half of this story is missing!
If the school is accomplishing all of it’s academic goals and is now spending more time on nutrition, then I say that’s fine. But is the school even accomplishing it’s primary goal of educating those students? I don’t know, because the journalist apparently isn’t curious on what kind of education these students are getting! I expect more from stories here.
Report Post »DTOM_Jericho (Creator vindicator)
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:34amWho cares? Your question is moot. The real question is, should their be public schools? The answer is, no.
Somebody got rich of this and the parents/kids got brain-washed and fleeced. Crony-state-capitalism.
Report Post »ISeeDanger.com
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 9:03amThis is what happens when the BAD 10% of society makes the GOOD 90% suffer and pay for their irresponsible behavior.
Report Post »Shiroi Raion
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 9:14amThis school looks vastly more expensive than the school I was at when I was a child. We had a room, a couple chalkboards and the teachers shared the expensive projectors. That room appears packed with extras. I know when I was 12, I was learning algebra, parabolas, quadratic equations, and reading Shakespeare and Homer… My 15 year old nephew is far, FAR behind in comparison to an average 12 year old in my school 35 years ago. He can’t even handle simple fractions and only reads modern fiction about dragons and magic. It seems schools would be much better going back to the basics and stop wasting all the taxpayers’ money on new toys for the teachers and the unions.
Report Post »Food is important, but it’s just one meal, five days a week is nothing to obsess about. I had 9% body fat and was benching about 200 lbs at 13 years old and no schools obsessed over food back then. The food was obviously good enough if I could get so strong at such a young age. By the time I was 15, people guessed that I was 21 because of my physique. The problem today is that kids are inactive: watching TV, playing computer games, etc… I swam, biked, climbed trees, went fishing, hiking, helped neighbors shovel driveways and chop wood, even helped local farmers with their turkeys before Thanksgiving. I was only idle when studying and while in classes. I only watched TV for an hour or 2 per day if at all.
I doubt food and money is the real problem; it’s inactivity.
kcares
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 10:09amGood questions? They don’t care if they learn anything, look at all the OWS protesters. They prefer them to be ignorant and are using the health thing to distroy another industry. Fast Food.
Report Post »bolsen00
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 12:58pmIt’s an outrage! I want mama Obama out of the white house and regular eating going on in this country with normal school lunches including pizza, chicken nuggets, and mashed potatoes and gravy! Power to the parents and kids!
Report Post »rufio101
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 1:13pmThe article is about childhood obesity and what a school is doing to help combat a growing epidemic.
Report Post »If you want information on the schools academic achievement you could look up the school report card, but I’ve done that for you. http://www.danville.k12.il.us/Schools/pdf/2010/report_cards/northeast-report-card-2010.pdf
The information you want is on page 4.
Were you just trying to find something to complain about for this article?
Keaneba
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 4:14pm@DTOM: I disagree with you. My point is hardly moot. The status of our education system is the entire point of my post. This article is pointing out that yet another school is branching out in areas having nothing to do with teaching, and does not focus on how the school is teaching. I think my main point is valid.
@rufio101: Yes, I understand that one can look up a school’s status as well. Congratulations. My complaint with the article was that the obvious questions a reader would have while reading the article remained unanswered by the end of the article. There was a large focus of the school on obesity and nutrition, while still having students in the average weight for the region. Wouldn’t any prudent reader also wonder if such focus would have a negative impact on education in other areas? After all, there are only so many hours in the day. I expect journalists to answer these questions in their articles. We should all have high expectations from our news sources.
Report Post »pamela kay
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 6:08pmThe sad thing is more than likely they are being indoctrinated by the progressives. Allot of the history books have been changed to follow their agenda. I have no trouble with gym class at all. I think it is good for the kids. If they choose to prepare only healthy food, no problem. The parents should have the right to pack their kids lunch and should NEVER have to sign any papers about what their kids eat. It is not up to the school, it is the job of the parents.
Report Post »Classical Liberal
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:33pmAs far as the roles played by our public schools in kids health goes, they should have gym everyday and not serve crappy, greasy garbage to the kids. Kids should not have the option mozzarella sticks on the lunch menu. If their parents send them in with it, then that’s different.
No one would complain if the public schools gut out garbage from their menus. Just don’t tell the parents what lunch they can send their kids in with.
Report Post »waggie
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 10:01pmMy daughter cried one day when she came home from school because they had taken away chicken sandwiches for lunch due to them being unhealthy. I AM THE PARENT! I WILL DECIDE WHAT MY KIDS EAT!!!
Report Post »Latter-Day-Soldier
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:29amJust remember: don’t get between Michelle O and HER french-fries.
Report Post »momofnortheast2
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 1:03pmI moved in to the Danville community the summer before my daughter was to enter kindergarten. I found a website that rates all public schools. (greatschools.org) I CHOSE Northeast bc of its high rating (6 out of 10) compared to the school she would have gone to based on where we live (3 out of 10).
For the others that say nay on the food, I don’t agree with all the school lunch choices offered so I pack my kids their own healthy lunch. My kids know the rules at school and there is no hassle about what I put in their lunches. Everyone is eating healthy or at least more healthy than the average. I also want to reiterate that to attend Northeast, you have to apply for admission. If someone doesn’t agree with the policies, then DON’T COME!!!! It’s that simple. If parents don’t like the food options, DON’T APPLY!!!! It is not something that the state mandates. It is the school‘s choice and parent’s decision to send their student and abide with their rules. I think they are headed in the right direction.
BTW, I substituted at a neighboring elementary school the other day and was appauled at the lack of disciple and support offered to me as a sub compared to what I see at Northeast as a parent and sub. Kudos to all the staff at NORTHEAST MAGNET SCHOOL!!!!
Report Post »layla
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:27amthere too many rules for eating and playing. get the politicians and the lawyers out of our lives.
Report Post »ginsberg
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 9:26amNothing wrong with teaching kids to eat healthy, obesity is on the rise because we fail our children by letting them eat crap…then everyone pays for their medical bills.
Report Post »lapua338shooter
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 9:39amI’ve already visited the local schools where my grandkids attend & humbly requested they stay the hell outta my grandkids diet. Since my wife & I play major roles in their education & upbringing, the grandkids DO NOT sit around the house & watch TV, sit in front of the computer, sit with electronic games, etc. They play sports after school. They do things outside the home. Physical stuff AND we give them candy & ice cream on a regular basis. I don’t see any ill effects at all.
Report Post »The school board would have a cardiac arrest if they knew we have junk night 2 or 3 times a week. That‘s when the kids pick out pizza or burgers or sometimes even just plain ’ol candy and junk for dinner if they want. They’d probably try to have us deemed unfit to raise kids. They really need to understand the rule of nunya. It’s nunya business what I do in my house, with my family. Nunya, I say!
Faithful Fisherman
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 1:05pmGins, you are wrong, obesity on the rise is due to inactivity. I ate the same PB&J, chips, etc and did not get obese. The difference was we had scheduled PE, after school activities, and rode our bikes to school. This smacks of Govt indoctrination, or at the least the over emphasis on this topic.
Report Post »rockstone
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 1:59pm@ Ginsburg
That’s easy to solve. How about, I don’t pay for any other kids health care but my own? We let their parents can take care of their kids health insurance. It’s none of my business, therfor, what they eat can remain none of my business.
And what my kids eat can remain none of their business.
Report Post »BubbaT
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 2:25pm@Ginsburg: I somewhat agree. I don‘t think it’s an entirely bad thing for a public school to only serve healthy meals. Lord knows the lazy parents feed their kids crap and don’t take the initiative.
Now, with that said I don‘t believe they shouldn’t allow kids to eat what they bring from home and I don‘t know if that’s what they‘re doing as I didn’t read the entire piece.
But I also have to cut poor families a little slack as well because unfortunately, healthy foods are often more expensive and I blame the Govt. for that.
Report Post »raderby
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:25amNONE OF THE SCHOOL’S, OR STATE’S, OR FED’S business what a kid eats. The parents decide. NO ONE ELSE! They are programming government control, and whether the results are “good” or “bad” – the “STATE” has no power to control a ki’s eating habits. They can teach, but they cannot control, via pressure or otherwise.
NEXT will be control of what every citizen in the USA can eat. FREEDOM GOING, GOING, GONE. Besides, if one drinks milk, whole milk is better. All this processed “reduced fat” pizza bulldunk is NOT good nutitrtion. SO the leftist control theories are based on bad dietary ideas in any case. PARENTS DECIDE!!! STATE? – you teach math tables instead of garbage Chicago math that teaches nothing about math that a kid can use . . . .
Report Post »sister1_rm
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:25amIt doesn’t feel right to me having schools dictate and press so heavily on any one issue, yet on the other hand, this is a charter school where parents choose whether they allow there children and families enroll and take part. I guess if the free market system works in economics then it can work for individual schools… but it still feels wrong. It seems horribly unbalanced and who knows what damage this kind of education will do to a child’s thinking and self image. There needs to be balance, not obsession.
Oh well. I feed my kids right and I home school, so maybe I shouldn’t say too much. Lowest common denominator schooling is the rule where I live. Bad food and bad parenting are fairly normal here and they literally demand such things.
Report Post »LOTO
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:24amI wonder who will be the first arrest for dealing candy bars?
Report Post »A felony to be sure.
There is something to be said for being active and healthy.
Home schooling would be too much trouble and who would want to be around their kids that much anyway? Thank goodness we have The Department of Education.
airforcec-130
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:21amGood Morning Everybody… “WAKE UP AMERICA”!!! Seems funny(well it’s not really funny, it’s an AGENDA), but I didn’t see any OBESE children in these pictures. Did they put the wrong pictures with this story. OR; is it like the so called “HEALTH SPAS”, only show the after effects of the SCAM. Oh, by the way, put away your 1‘s and 5’s. They just might come in handy. God Bless all of You, and GOD BLESS AMERICA…
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:17amI’d like to meet an elementary school that stood for the kids, the community, for GOD and AMERICA and against communism, marxism, dividusism, Why are schools in the food business in the first place, folks? I know. I know. It was to help out the “poor kids” who left home without breakfast, etc.
Guess what?
Schools don’t feed kids, kids eat at home before they come to school.
And, they bring lunches like we “poor folks” used to do in the “old days”.
By high school, then you can feed kids on campus.
There you go~~~ a FREE NATION.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:23amActually, if you’re poor, they feed the kids breakfast, lunch and send a snack home. It’s the poor kids that are overweight, because of school food. They pick at it, throw it away, etc. My son is celiac and they make no consessions for him at lunch beyond, eat a salad. I send him to school with a packed lunch (actually, he’s 12 and packs his own lunch). He’s underweight for his height.
Report Post »Nlitend1
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:38amwhy is government in any business? they enforce laws to benefit society, they enlist an army/navy/air force to benefit society, they regulate business to benefit society, and so on. Does a policy that feeds children healthy food benefit us? I think so…but like all their other activities, government should evaluate how they do this so that they balance the benefits with the costs. I have no problem with these programs as long as they are implemented efficiently and effectively. Cutting obesity would no doubt benefit society…do you disagree?
Report Post »Darla_K
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:15amWhen I went to school they had foods from the 5 food groups. What happens when the kids take a sack lunch? Do they have someone from food patrol going through the kids lunch? Shame on the schools for allowing this to happen. Get the kids off their butts and get them excercising daily instead of texting.
Report Post »Nlitend1
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:43amWould you support a work camp school that gets the kids off their butts? Couldn’t you make the same argument about a school that mandates physical activity..a government patrol that makes kids run in the playground. Well, they do this already anyway, recess and physical education have been going on for a long time. Policies and programs that deal with healthy eating seem to address the other causes of obesity, and since it is such a problem in this country, I don’t know why people are so against it…as long as it doesn’t go too far (policing individual eating choices outside of school).
Report Post »Nlitend1
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:13amI’ve never understood the attack on Michelle Obama for her stance on obesity. I get that the government should have limited power and shouldn’t rule our lives, but when there is such a nation-wide problem, action is justifiable. When the government encourages other types of ‘safe’ activity, I never hear this kind of uproar. Since obesity is such an issue, and since obama’s health initiative is not a universal mandate on choice, why is there so much hatred for it?
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:25amI wouldn’t mind if Michelle just made suggestions (like Mrs. Bush on the Just say no campaign), but she wants to mandate what our kids eat, and then she has a 2,000 calorie lunch. Don’t tell me what to feed my kids. I still stand with it‘s a magnet school and if the parents don’t like it, vote with your feet…move to a different school. Magnet schools are a choice, no one forces them to go there. If enough protest, and drop from the roles, they’ll reverse that decision. If they decide it’s worth it to go to a magnet school and stay, they’ll keep it up.
Report Post »truckinwife
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 10:08amBecause the government doesn‘t need to be involved with what we eat or don’t eat. This is just the toe in the door, if this goes as planned they will regulate the foods we eat. Which I for one do not want, I am on a diet but I make the choices of what and when I will eat not Obama’s wife or their minions.
As for one of my choices of foods I avoid is all soy based products. From what I have learned about it,and that is my choice. And if I want a taste of a chocolate brownie then it doesn’t take much to plan for that taste of brownie. And then to in turn work off the calories, this nation is just lazy. As calorie counting can be done WITHOUT the government being involved.
Report Post »deeberj
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 1:36pmnlitend1 – “but when there is such a nation-wide problem, action is justifiable.”
First let me say that as it being a magnet school, if kids aren’t forced to go there, the school can do what it wants about diet. Free market and all that.
This is just another example of a slippery slope, starting at the top with what sounds like a reasonable argument and ending in something we don’t want. What reasonable person thinks eating healthy is wrong? So why not include it being taught in school? Then lets just forbid offering in the cafeteria what someone has determined “junk” food (and who decides that anyway?). And then lets not allow any parents to send in homemade food for events. And then lets not allow kids to bring said “junk” food in their bag lunches from home. All of these are happening already. And it ends up where the gov’t tells everyone what they can and cannot eat. And don‘t think they aren’t trying already via the FDA. Go check out some of their proposed laws regarding supplements.
Report Post »elenacala
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 6:42pmWho says obesity is even a problem? Its the government who says its a problem, but is it really? I mean isn’t it my constitutional right to to ingest anything that i see fit barring law breaking (i.e.. murdering and eating someone for instance) ? Its only a problem b/c now the government is trying to force everyone into a crappy government run healthcare system. As long as I am paying my medical bills who has a right to say anything about what I eat?
Its a slippery slope. Once they get in and start recommending foods, then its telling you what you can or can’t eat, and since they are already controlling that part why not control other things like what you think, who you can talk to, what you can read….The framers of the constitution understood why there would be a huge problem with Michelle Obama’s attack on obesity, which is why they gave individuals liberties not a system like communism.
What’s gonna be a problem next? Being a christian or perhaps being conservative? Its only a problem if they make it into one. Besides don’t you think society is diet crazy enough? I‘m sick of seeing 8 year old girls thinking their fat when they aren’t. Thanks to Michelle and public schools like the one featured we will all be seeing much more of that.
Report Post »TheValley
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:10amSugar, carbs, and un-healthy, fat free food, this school and it’s principle have no idea what they are doing, this is all rubbish and absolutely none of the schools business, if the pronciple wants to raise her kids that way fine, she doesn’t have the right to impose thise on the whole school. Nice job highlighting the total BS and making it appear good…..FAIL!
Report Post »stalvan
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 9:40pmI came here to post the same thing. I understand that this is a magnet school, so it’s a little different than if a mandated public school were doing it — but still the pledge is a bit too far. Keep nutritional decisions with the parents, and at least get your endocrinology right — this is so misguided that it’s sickening.
We give loads of carbohydrates and no fat to children whose brains are growing, and then wonder why social disorders are so prevalent, and why childhood obesity is so high? Kids need a high fat, low-carbohydrate diet with sufficient protein intake — that’s it, no calorie counting necessary, as long as you’re giving them the proper type of nutrients to grow and develop.
Report Post »MARCH4HIM
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:06amIf they realy want to fight obesity, take away all their eclectronics .
and buy them a bike ,baseball glove, decent pair of sneakers.
and quit driving them everywhere.Make them ride a bike or walk (in todays world, with a friend ) .
And they would then, actualy have to have a conversation with a live person, because they cant text.
But then again, is their any place safe for kids to do that.. today in America…?
Report Post »Nlitend1
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:15amThe school does seem to implement physical activities…buying them bikes and shoes sounds like a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. Don’t we want schools teaching our children healthy behavior? I think these parents would agree with teaching simply based on the fact that it is a charter school.
Report Post »MARCH4HIM
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:52amI’m not saying tax payers .who buys these kids their electronics.
the school ? I’m talking the country in general .
Most kids have a computer,tv.and a phone and a cell phone ,
in their bedroom .not to mention the most important part,
they have to have the best clothes ,not just any clothes.
and they “dont want to walk” or “ride a bike”.
the best way to burn calories is to play sports.
Its hard to play while eating chicken Mc.nuggets
and I also said. those days are gone. To many crazy people out and about.
Report Post »You have to keep your eye on the kids 24/7.
It hard for parent today they have to be involved in 100% of the childrens activties,
sports does help alot.
Competativism.makes a kid practice, to be bettter,faster and stonger,to be better than thier peers.
It also help with their inter action with others ,you give some lip over the internet ,not much of a problem. you do it on a ball field ,you might get knocked on your butt. It teaches you to think before putting mouth in motion.
but hey…. that was yesterday
it requires much more dedication ,from the parrents Today,Its much easier to set a kid up the electonic,because of all the nut-jobs. in our society.
Nlitend1
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 9:30amI agree with you, childrens’ inactivity in general should be more of a concern to parents. I had misunderstood your point.
Report Post »NHwinter
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:06amWhen I was in school long ago we always had healthy meals. Not one student was overweight. Schools should serve healthy meals and maybe society needs to be re-educated on what exactly is good for you to eat. But, signing a health contract is a bit much,. Uniforms are good if you choose your child to go to that school. Fashion in schools has gotten to be expensive for parents. A lot of this is good as long as it doesn’t go too far. Michelle Obama’s agenda is an equalizer and government should stay out of personal choice. I have mixed feeling about this, good and overstepping.
Report Post »Nlitend1
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:21amI agree with you on most of what you said, but it is my belief that government is and always has gotten involved in personal choice…usually without issue and usually when there is a safety issue. For instance, they regulate toys that can be swallowed and choked on, they regulate clothes that can burst into flames, they regulate the speed we travel on roads and they won’t let just anyone buy a bazooka. Just about every choice we make is somehow limited by government–and I agree that it can go too far. But, in this case and since obesity is so costly to our country and such a serious safety issue, I do believe government has a role in making some suggestions for fixing the problem. Just my opinion, but I won’t demonize the issue simply based on who is advocating for it.
Report Post »Tear Em Up
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:02amI’ve been in that school..the teachers might want to lead by example…..
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mikeleeandterrymartin/Number_85_Oct._15th._2011.mp3
Report Post »MARCH4HIM
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:16amThe Presidents wife might want to also..
Report Post »she’s pushing this…..Its her agenda… whats her body mass count ?
This will work….. as good as
the……“just say no ”….. campaign
Nlitend1
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 9:37amThe failure of the just say no program is better compared to abstinence programs that don’t teach children about sex, but rather teach them to simply say no to them. Mrs. Obama’s program does more than tell kids to say no to twinkies…I think the comparison of programs may actually demonstrate two similar issues with different approaches for solving them. I‘m not all that familiar with Obama’s obesity program, but I’ve heard many people say that it goes to far in controlling choice.
Report Post »Bev5
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 9:44amI agree, March, someone ought to purchase a mirror for Michelle so she can see her backside. Egads!
Report Post »MaxineH20Sux
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:02amThe parents should be mad aout this nanny state running their lives! My kids eat healthier at home than at school! And I am willing to bet half of those kids pick a their food and throw most of it away. all 3 of my boys are a bit underweight/ normal weight because they love to play outside and run around. And all I ever get at home is obesity crap from school sent home. I guess they have no idea what to do about many kids that aren’t obese!
Report Post »onegodinkansas
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:01amIf this nonsense ultimately produces adults as wide as Michelle, that is yet another reason to home-school.
Report Post »obfuscatenot
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:00amWhat I find sad is that this is such a revolutionary concept! Fresh fruits and vegetables! For goodness sakes, even including physical activity as part of the routine? All things that have been removed by our wonderful system created by layers of oversight and teachers unions, because after all – it’s all about the $ these days, not about the teaching. No playground equipment because some kid might fall and get hurt. No ball-games at recess because some kid might get hurt. Variety of foods? Can’t, some kid might be allergic. Socrates warned us. He was right. The system will eventually become about the money not the teaching the students. Notice- this is NOT a public school, people WANT to send their kids here. Imagine. Good for them.
Report Post »GeorgeWashingtonslept here
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:59amPhysical Education should be done everyday from Pre K thru 12 grade. Problem with HS PE here in Maryland is that you are only required to have one credit of PE to graduate. Hence fat kids with big fat mouths. I say this because my husband is a HS PE teacher and the stories I hear on a regular basis make my head spin……….Kids today are lazy as hell.
Report Post »GeorgeWashingtonslept here
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:05amMentally and Physically btw.
Report Post »thegodfather
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:59amRelieved union Teachers, love it……… more Gym..less teaching
Report Post »Al J Zira
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:55amI’m not one for school imposed food regulations but I am for the parent deciding how their school is run. If the school can get everyone to agree to a policy like this then the school has every right to have a no junk food policy. But for those that don’t wish to participate, how about allowing school choice?
Report Post »captaincameron
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:54amI’m all for healthy kids, and there are some fat little $(&ards out there.
Report Post »And even though this should be the PARENTS’ job, having healthy food in the schools is not a bad plan.
But this is ridiculous. Elementary school kids can’t have a CUPCAKE on their birthday with their classmates?
I wonder if the kids and their parents recognize the precedent that this sets about allowing the state to control each and every aspect of their lives down the road.
demint.disciple
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:02amYour post contradicts itself.. I can’t tell what you stand for.. Try to make sense please.. On one hand you all for the policy then in the same sentence your against it.. Pffftt !!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:54amOnce more we are seeing the administrations influence to seperate the parents rights to determine the way they care for their own kids. This is just one more attack on the multi battle front we face to retake the nation…I am not against kids being healthy; the matter of how to deal with it is to be that of the PARENTS and their responsibility not the Fed’s.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:53amIt’s a magnet school, and I believe they can do whatever they want. If parents don’t like it they have the option of sending their kids to the public school in their area, or homeschool them.
Report Post »kwolfburg
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:04amA magnet school is still a public school.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:09amYes, but you choose to go to a magnet school. My son goes to a charter school, (don’t know the difference). I know they use public curriculum (which I’m not thrilled with, but hey), but they don‘t have to follow school district policies if they don’t want to. They follow the calendar because they know some families have kids in the regular public schools. I know here in Texas, the magnet schools, and the gifted schools are in the WORST neighborhoods, a form of bussing in my opinion.
Report Post »MacGirl
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:53amThat is not a picture of healthy eating. There is a yogurt cup which is high in sugar and artificial colors and flavors. Juice is one of the worst things for kids… it’s OK in moderation of course, but this is something they are drinking everyday? Our pediatric dentist says to get rid of juice altogether, not healthy. Then there’s Goldfish… again, it’s not Doritos or anything but not a healthy choice… all processed. I see no protein on the plate.
Report Post »Whoever chooses the healthy options in this school needs an education.
obfuscatenot
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:05amAgree 100%. A step further that would help – remove MILK! Deep green leafy veggies should be how the growing human being beyond infancy should receive it’s calcium. Dairy subsidies are a huge issue in this country that add to the fat ingested AND the dairy intolerance problems. Spinach not milk. Yum.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:53amWe are going to graduate very healthy dumbasses who can’t give change for a dollar. It’s none of your dam(n) business what my child eats!
Report Post »PubliusPencilman
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 7:59amBut it is their business what their students eat, since they are feeding them. But hey, shouldn’t you appreciate the fact that these kids are healthier and potentially will be healthier in the future, meaning that they won’t contribute to rising health care premiums plaguing this country?
Report Post »MaxineH20Sux
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 8:05amPublius,
Report Post »The problem is most kids would throw the food away and pick at their tray. All that money own the drain. But then, dems are so good at that! It is not the schools business what kids eat if they bring it from home.
wewantchillywilly
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 11:00amthis is to Publiuspencilman
no i don’t appreciate it at all. because these same so called healthy kids you describe (that‘s hilarious if you think it’s working) shouldn’t become reliant upon regulations and restrictions to help them make good choices. nay. the government is now making the choices FOR THEM. they are supposed to make those choices on their own. I didn‘t need cookies to be banned from my cafeteria to know that you shouldn’t eat 12 in a sitting. if you want restrictions on food for kids, then you’re just setting these kids up to rely off of government regulations that are “for their greater good”.
and also; my god, have you seen kids these days? you can enforce all the school food regulations you want, kids are going to eat junk food: at home. friends houses. anywhere. If anything, the regulations are making it WORSE. your comment is hilariously ignorant. you think the government is helping create some kind of super healthy human population. you couldn’t be further from the truth.
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