#1 Heart Healthy School in the Nation

Obesity is one of the most important health challenges facing New York children today. Today’s children have a lower life expectancy than their parents, largely due to the rise in obesity and related chronic disease such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer. 17% of children ages 2-19 in the United States are classified as obese. In parts of New York as many as 24% of children are classified as obese.

And while many schools are cutting back on P.E. and recess to make room for increased state and federal mandates, one local school is fining ways to incorporate more of these things. This local school has been named the Heart Healthiest School in the nation by the American Heart Association. This is such a huge honor that I had to find out what this school was doing to keep the students healthy.

Think about that for a second: the healthiest in the country! I visited Hamagrael Elementary School in Bethlehem to see just how they did it. I found that it’s a three-legged stool, if you will. There are three areas the school is focusing on to keep kids on track.

First, they feed them healthy food. Instead of chips and other fatty snacks, the school offers fruits and vegetables and things like sunflower seeds. And there are no sports drinks to be found anywhere; only low fat milk and juice.

Second, they teach the students why this is the best way to eat. They teach students to “eat a rainbow.”

And finally, exercise is a huge component of the heart healthy initiative. The P.E. teachers have been an intricate part of the process, teaching kids to stay active and burn calories. The school has also catered to the kid’s desires by investing in several Dance, Dance Revolution game pads.

“The kids get to play video games but get their heart rate up at the same time,” says P.E. teacher Chris Berschwiner.

“We’re teaching kids to make a lifestyle change,” says Principal Dave Ksanznak, “we want them to keep doing these things long beyond the time they’re here.”

The entire program, according to Mr. Ksanznak, started with a group of parents on the PTA. They formed a committee to look at improving the health of the students. Teachers are helping by holding healthy food parties in class, instead of the old fashioned cupcake parties. The principal says they all try to lead by example.

I even had an opportunity to see Mr Ksanznak try out the DDR himself! Check out the video portion of this story to see his fancy footwork.