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WILL - WILLConnect - April 15, 2012
Jefferson Middle School in Champaign recently added exercise equipment to its classrooms.
(Funded in part by a grant from the Lumpkin Family Foundation)
Research at the University of Illinois suggests physical activity can boost cognitive health. To test that theory, Jefferson Middle School in Champaign recently added exercise equipment for its students.
Marcelon Mosley, 11, walks on a treadmill in the assistant principal's office at Jefferson Middle School in Champaign. Mosley started off using the treadmill about three times a week for about 30-to-45 minutes. He can come off as being very calm, expressing very little emotion, but he admits he isn't always that way. He said there have been times when he has reacted strongly to other kids' comments about him, or just hasn't felt motivated enough to keep up with his school work.
When the school began adding the exercise equipment at the start of the academic year, his teachers thought it might be easier for him to relax and focus by getting on a treadmill a few times each week.
He explains that he determines the speed of the treadmill based on his level of anger. If he is in a really bad mood, he said he may double the speed from his normal two miles per hour.
"When it goes faster, it calms me down cause I have so much energy that I want to break somebody's neck or something, and then I just use up my energy walking on the treadmill," Mosley said. Since he started using the treadmill at the beginning of the school year, Mosley admits that he is doing a better job now controlling his anger.
His mom, Cheryl Moore, has even noticed a difference in his behavior. She credits that not only to the exercise, but also to what she and school officials are doing to hold Mosley accountable when he misbehaves or doesn't turn in homework assignments on time.
"I think that it's kind of like a coalition basically with the parents and the teachers working together," Moore said. "What's that famous saying? It takes a village to raise a child." Mosley - along with five of his other siblings - all have ADHD, and he is one of two of them currently medicated for it. His mother hopes to get him off of it by the time he's in high school, but not if that compromises his performance in the classroom.
"It's hardest with Marcelon because actually out of all of our children, he takes the most amount of milligrams," Moore said. "He's very overwrought, and we try to let him do lots of exercise as much as she wants to. He just has tons of energy. It's like the wild in his eyes. When he acts like that, we're like, 'Do you need to go outside and play a lot more?'"
Students like Marcelon seems to benefit from this exercise equipment brought in by University of Illinois Professor Charles Hillman.
Hillman said there is a positive relationship between physical activity and cognitive health. Hillman, who teaches kinesiology and community health at the U of I, has already explored this connection with pre-adolescents, young adults, and older adults. After approximately one hour of exercise, he found that these age groups showed improvements in cognition and achievement.
"What's good for children is good for young adults," Hillman said. "What's good for young adults is good for older adults. Being healthy and exercising and having a higher level of fitness relates to better brain health and better cognition. And so because of that, I believe we need to act early. "
Now, Hillman is doing the same research, but this time with middle school students.
"Puberty changes a lot of things. It changes body. It changes hormone production, and it changes brain," he explained. "And so it's interesting to see during a time when kids are actively going through puberty, what these relationships are between fitness or health factors such as body mass and cognition in children."
Hillman and U of I Psychology Professor Neal Cohen are studying students at Jefferson over a three year period.
They believe that being overweight may affect parts of the brain associated with attention, memory, and cognition. As part of their research, Jefferson Middle School agreed to install exercise equipment around the school - aerobic balls in classrooms, Marcelon's treadmill, and bikes in the library.
In the school library students take turns riding on the exercise bikes. Librarian Kim Anderson said it is a challenge identifying ways the library can support students other than through literacy, which is why when she first heard about the school's exercise initiative, she jumped at the idea.
"They are actually reading when they're working out, and we also have a couple of iPads that we set up, so that they Velcro right onto the stationary bikes so they can flip through and either read a book online or work on one of the education apps," Anderson said.
Some of the students say 30 minutes of physical activity during gym class isn't enough time to stay active during the school day. Eight grader Paige Ducharme said getting more exercise has helped her concentrate.
"Cause you get your brain - like not really moving - but you get more energy inside of you so you find yourself awake more and more energized to be able to listen and make your brain function more," Ducharme said.
Students using the exercise equipment is part of Principal Susan Zola's larger vision. She also plans to transform the school's multipurpose room into an exergaming room where students would be exposed to a combination of games and exercise. In the space,
Zola envisions being able to grab a heart monitor, and do a cross country virtual tour in the mountains.
"So, it's like Wii on steroids," Zola said. "We believe it will take our students health and wellness to a whole different level."
While Marcelon Mosely and Paige Ducharme are physically fit, Zola said there are students at Jefferson who do battle their weight and other related health issues. Zola believes physical activity should be a priority for all students - even those who just want to work up a sweat.
"Wellness and students' well-being and where they land in terms of their healthy living impacts us all in the future," Zola said. "So, the stronger they are in terms of their hearts their spirits their minds their academics, the stronger citizens the stronger community members, the healthier our community will be as a whole."
Related Links:
More about Charles Hillman's research Unit 4 Tries to Stay Ahead of Nutrition Standards (Related) Champaign County Schools Adopt Anti-Obesity Initiative (Related)
WILL - WILLConnect - January 06, 2012
Angela Wiley, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is trying to curb obesity and diabetes rates among immigrant communities.
Obesity is hitting Latino children in the United States harder than any other demographic, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Angela Wiley, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is trying to curb that trend in immigrant communities living in Illinois. She heads the Up Amigos project, which looks at how biological, social, and environmental factors affect rates of obesity and diabetes. Illinois Public Radio's Rachel Otwell talks with Wiley about her research.
WILL - WILLConnect - December 11, 2011
An elementary school in Danville, Ill. has earned national recognition for its approach to fighting childhood obesity --- by teaching its students how to stay healthy.
An elementary school in Danville, Ill. has earned national recognition for its approach to fighting childhood obesity --- by teaching its students how to stay healthy.
When Carol McIntire arrived at Northeast Elementary School in 2007, her staff was working on creating an environment for students to help them win the battle against childhood obesity. From expanding students' daily physical activities to revamping lunch menus, McIntire's arrival accelerated the process.
Childhood obesity has been linked to an array of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Northeast Elementary forged ahead in partnering with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national organization founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. The school initiated a plan to provide healthier food choices and keep kids physically active. A grant from the Illinois State Board of Education increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Students were also able to taste test produce not familiar to them. Principal McIntire said the program has been a big hit with students and parents.
"Our fresh fruits and vegetable program that we've been able to have here has been such a key to our kids and our families," McIntire said. "Parents talk about how much that means to kids."
Even before being recognized nationally for its efforts, Northeast Elementary made several healthy changes, many of which surpassed the requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to Brenda Demos, the former director of food service at Northeast Elementary. She was instrumental in changing the school's lunch menu.
"Finding suppliers of certain products that met Alliance standards was a labor of love," Demos said.
It was important to Demos and her team to keep as many of the students' favorite menu items as possible, while adjusting the recipes with healthier ingredients. For instance, using turkey hotdogs and whole grain bread allowed corn dogs to stay on the menu. Pizza also received a makeover, switching to whole grain crust and low-fat cheese.
Detailed information - complete with nutritional values - was submitted to the Alliance for all menu items.
Recipes would often go through several changes until they were finally approved. After eight months of hard work, Demos and her staff were successful, giving Northeast Elementary a foundation of recipes and menus on which to build even more healthy meals.
Greg Lazelle, the school's current director of food service, picked up where Demos left off when she retired, and did so without missing a beat. Lazelle has expanded the fresh fruit program, and he is looking for more innovative ways to bring healthier choices to the tables at Northeast Elementary.
The school's cafeteria also houses the gymnasium.
Physical education teacher Beckey Burgoyne leads her students in their exercises, which might consist of shooting and dribbling basketballs, using paddleballs, or navigating across a climbing wall or games.
"Watch the stop watch, and every three minutes I will move you," Burgoyne instructed her students before blowing a whistle and turning on some fast-moving music.
Every day, the students have half an hour of gym class, which includes 20 minutes of moderate exercise. On a recent morning, a group of students smile and giggle as they spend their time playing and moving around. Burgoyne said being able to burn off the energy helps them concentrate in the classroom.
"As a former classroom teacher, I know how important it is to have those students get the exercise, blow off the steam, get some fresh air when it's possible," Burgoyne said. "Then they come back, and they're ready to learn again."
In addition to the exercise students get, teachers integrate health and wellness into their curriculum. Speech therapist Kate Cox created verbal exercises encouraging students to discuss various health and wellness topics while also strengthening their speaking skills.
"Where can I add movement to goals I'm already working on instead of sitting around a table and getting out a bunch of cards, can I get them up moving?" Cox said. "If you aren't focused, you're not getting the directions anyway."
Meanwhile, fifth grade teacher Lisa Unzicker assigns a social studies research project on the topic of food deserts.
"What is a food desert?" she asked her class.
One student responds:
"A food desert is a community which residents must travel at least a mile to buy fresh meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. It is where at least 20% of people live below the poverty line and at least 33% live a mile or more from the nearest supermarket."
McIntire credits all members of the staff for making the program work.
"They are constantly looking at their lesson plans for new ways to integrate health and wellness," she said. "Our bottom line is that we do this because it's good for kids."
In Dec. 2010, the school became the first elementary school in the country to be recognized with a gold medal from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. In the year since then, McIntire and her team are just as committed to their focus on health and wellness and continue to expand access to healthy options.
Northeast Elementary is known as the healthy school and there is already a waiting list for next year's admission. McIntire encourages other schools that are interested in adopting her school's health and wellness model to make one or two small changes at a time, aiming for a large goal of a healthier learning environment.
WILL - WILLConnect - October 03, 2011
A public lecture by the College of Medicine at Illinois
Janet Liechty, assistant professor, School of Social Work at Illinois; Dr. Kristen Vogt, a Carle Hospital physician; and David Buchner, professor, Kinesiology & Community Health at Illinois, spoke at the College of Medicine's Community Medical School on Tuesday, September 27 at the Hawthorne Suites in Champaign. The lecture was moderated by William Marshall, Assoc. Dean for Clinical Affairs at Illinois. This was the second in a three-part lecture series for the public on the basic science of obesity.
WILL - WILLConnect - September 07, 2011
Oakwood High School teaches students about the history of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
As teachers prepare to talk about the history of the September 11, 2001 attacks to their students, Illinois Public Media's Sean Powers visited a group of freshmen at Oakwood High School, right outside of Danville. Their social studies teacher says he doesn't want them to forget about 9/11, even if they don't personally remember it.
WILL - WILLConnect - September 01, 2011
University of Illinois black chorus to perform 9/11 memorial concert.
The University of Illinois Black Chorus will perform a concert in memory of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on Sunday, September 11, 2011 in the Smith Recital Hall of Smith Memorial Hall at 7:46 a.m. Smith Memorial Hall is located at 805 So. Matthews Ave. The concert is free and open to the public. WILL-FM 101.1 and HD-2 will broadcast the concert live. It will be the world premiere of "Refuge," co-composed by K. Edward Copeland and Ollie Watts Davis. Illinois Public Media's Celeste Quinn spoke to Davis about "Refuge" and its premiere.
WILL - WILLConnect - July 11, 2011
Champaign students recite poetry to help them learn English as a second language.
Over the last year, Illinois Public Media's Sean Powers has visited a third grade class at Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Champaign. Just about all of these students are native Spanish speakers, and they are learning English as a second language through self expression. Shortly before they left for the summer, Sean checked out their final class project.
WILL - WILLConnect - April 05, 2011
Chicago is getting a new school that some think might be a window into the future of learning.
Digital technology and video games have a big impact on many kids' lives-and some believe they could play a bigger role in education. As Illinois Public Radio's Linda Lutton reports, Chicago is getting a new school that some think might be a window into the future of learning.
WILL - WILLConnect - February 13, 2011
Decatur prison fosters mother-child relationship
A women's prison in Decatur allows a handful of its inmates to raise their newborns while serving out their sentences. It's the only program of its kind in the state, and as Illinois Public Media's Sean Powers reports, it appears to be advancing the cause of rehabilitation and growth.
WILL - WILLConnect - February 12, 2011
Daycare center caters to migrant families
A new daycare and clinic recently opened for the season in Rantoul. It caters mostly to children of migrant workers, but it's open to anyone whose immediate family works in agriculture. The Multicultural Community Center is the largest of its kind in Illinois. As Illinois Public Media's Sean Powers reports, the staff tries to make the transition of migrating easier for the children of migrant workers.
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