At Thomas ES, a Fun Fitness Routine Unites Family and Friends

Informal Exercise Regimen Evolves into an Afterschool Program Involving Teachers, Parents, Students and Staff - September 22, 2010

Crecynthia Hall-Cooper and Christina Hall-Cooper

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Students and teachers at Thomas Elementary School take health and nutrition quite seriously – but that doesn’t mean they don’t have fun.

With line-dancing, aerobics, yoga and walking as part of their routine, and a new food program adding to their healthy-lifestyle regimen, students and teachers are beginning to see results – and plenty of smiles.

Crecynthia Hall-Cooper, a paraprofessional at Thomas ES, said she’s lost 15 pounds since she began participating, and her daughter, Christina, 8, a third grader at Thomas, lost six pounds. Both feel healthier and happier, they said, thanks to regular exercise and a change in diet with a focus on healthier foods.

“I have more energy, now – I’m able to keep up with my kids,” said Hall-Cooper, 43. “Both of us had brand new outfits that neither of us could get into [before improving their exercise and diet]. But we got into them this summer.”

Last year, a handful of teachers at the Northeast DC school started the twice-a-week fitness program after school. As other adults saw what the teachers were doing, they joined in, too, and the informal gathering gradually gained momentum.

Soon, more adults – teachers and parents – and students of all ages became involved. Parents, such as Hall-Cooper, exercised with their children, friends exercised with friends, and colleagues exercised with colleagues. Healthy lifestyles began to take root and so did fresh ideas for the new school year.

This year, they’ve added cheerleading to the afterschool program. They have plans for a kickball team in the spring, and Aja Jernagin, a paraprofessional in the school’s Head Start program, is launching a 12-week Girls on the Run program that will culminate with a 5K run.

“The buzz about being healthy is starting to get around,” Jernagin said. “Students and adults have to realize that this is a lifestyle – not just exercising here and there. It is a lifestyle you want to maintain instead of it just being a habit.”

The change in lifestyle reflects a change on the national and local levels. First lady Michelle Obama, with her Let’s Move program, this year announced her vision for addressing what has become a national obesity epidemic during an event at Payne Elementary School.

“This plays into the national scope of obesity and living a healthy lifestyle,” said Tasheen Stallings, the afterschool coordinator at Thomas. “You have the school nurse involved as well as parents and students on their own accord taking their own responsibility for their quality of life.”

The ideas dovetail perfectly with DCPS’ new healthy food initiative – a pilot program with D.C. Central Kitchen and Revolution Foods launched in August at 14 DC public schools – that goes above and beyond the requirements set by the federal government.

At Thomas, D.C. Central Kitchen’s Fresh Start Catering Company brings made-from-scratch meals featuring fresh, local and nutritious ingredients to the school every day. Children in the afterschool program also get a healthy supper from the Central Kitchen. Thomas even offers a healthier breakfast, equaling three meals of quality food.

For Hall-Cooper, the new meal program fits into her lifestyle of eating healthier foods – baked instead of fried, whole wheat instead of enriched white flour, more fruits and vegetables. The change helps members of her family manage their weight and address other serious problems such as diabetes.

“It’s very important,” she said. “Last time I took [her daughter] to the doctor, the doctor said she was overweight and borderline diabetic. That scared me to death, and I said enough is enough.”

Hall-Cooper’s concern is real for many families in the District. According to a May 5, 2010, study released by the District of Columbia Department of Health, about 40 percent of the city’s 120,000 children are overweight or obese. About 35 percent of DC’s high school-aged children are overweight or obese, according to another study by the Obesity Institute at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Hall-Cooper’s daughter has learned from her mother’s healthy lifestyle model. Not only has she dropped from 107 to 101 pounds, she also joined the afterschool program’s new cheerleading team. Angela Randall, the team’s coach, said adults and children are creating a bond through shared experiences that can be sustained and modeled for younger children.

“We’re banding together as friends and family,” she said. “It works.”

Health and Obesity in DC

The DC Department of Health’s 2010 Obesity Study and Action Report shows trends related to obesity and health in the District, such as:

Women are more likely to be obese than men. The obesity rate for women in DC is 25.1 percent, while the rate for men is 18.9 percent.
Residents with diabetes and high blood pressure have high rates of obesity.
Residents who ate five or more fruits or vegetables daily were less likely to be overweight or obese.
The wards with the most grocery stores, organic food and farmers markets, Wards 2 and 3, had the lowest rates of obesity; Ward 8 had the fewest healthy food options and had the highest rate of obesity.
High school-aged boys were more likely to be obese than high school-aged females. The obesity rate for males is 19 percent, while the rate for females is 15.8 percent.
Thirty percent of high school-aged youth get the recommended 60 minutes of exercise five days of the week.
Rates of obesity have increased over a five-year period from 2003-2007 for high school-aged youth.
Rates of physical activity as well as fruit and vegetable consumption decreased over a five-year period from 2003-2007 for high school-aged youth.
Good nutrition standards in schools may be undone by easily accessible unhealthy food surrounding schools.

Inside DCPS Highlights.