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Mirror, mirror on the wall, whos the fittest of them all? Last fall the Marion County Health Department surveyed 90,000 students about obesity, including our school. Each of us was weighed during study hall. The shocking results stated 40% of our countys students were overweight or obese. We were almost ...
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Mirror, mirror on the wall, whos the fittest of them all? Last fall the Marion County Health Department surveyed 90,000 students about obesity, including our school. Each of us was weighed during study hall. The shocking results stated 40% of our countys students were overweight or obese. We were almost the Fattest of them all!
How could this be? Werent we the famous Hoosier Basketball State? Didnt our awesome Colts win the Super Bowl? We began to reflect about how we could change the image America had of Indiana as the 4th fattest state as well as our ranking of 15th for the most overweight high school students.
The Administration took the first step saying, YES when Perry Meridian was selected to partner with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation led by President Bill Clinton and the American Heart Association. Their goal was for Perry Meridian to become a model for high schools everywhere for total fitness. As students, we wanted to do our part. We formed a steering committee, obtained a teacher sponsor, selected officers and F.I.T., (Falcons in Training Body, Spirit and Mind) was born.
We designed a T-Shirt for unity and a fund raiser. Our sponsor sent letters home, informing students and parents of our plan. We created innovative monthly themes for the 2007-08 school year. F.I.T. spurred students to adopt healthier lifestyles with weekly theme-based announcements with one special day per month. H20 is the Way to Go! was our first emphasis for September. We handed out bottled water with our own customized label educating our peers on the advantages of water over soft drinks.
Octobers, Breakfast Club stressed the health benefits of breakfast. Our special day was on Halloween so we could encourage students to avoid being tricked with candy and enjoy healthy treats, like the apples, we handed out, which lower cholesterol and contain fiber.
November was BIG! We added student dancers to our community Veterans Day Program and sponsored the first ever F.I.T. Olympics. Students competed for the Gold in Hula Hoop, Jump Rope, Bungee Run and Agility Ladder., at an all school pep session. The National Guard provided the Bungee Run; while Hoopdaloop taught us to Hula Hoop. And, the local newspaper gave us front page coverage.
In December, we were Stuck on Stretching, and had a school-wide stretching class competition with 11 classrooms boasting 100% participation. And, in January, Health classes created Fitness Fridays announcements to promote our Escapades in Exercise Theme. Our teachers and staff got on board by starting a Biggest Loser Contest.
February promises to be equally exciting as, We Dance our Way to Wellness, with an all-school dance contest. March will bring, Pedometer Pizzazz,; April Nutrition Notes and May, Summer Slim down.
We are proud of F.I.T.s accomplishments. We hope someday soon to be able to answer the question, Whos the fittest of them all, with a resounding, WE ARE!!
~~Morgan |Larimore|18|12~~Charlie|Pino|18|12~~Whitney|Stidd|17|11~~Katie |Felix|17|11~~Jennifer|Williams|18|12
