School officials see a big difference as children learn about physical activity and nutrition

ASHLAND — For Bellview Elementary School students there’s no love lost over dill pickles.

Why? Dill pickles are high in sodium and, therefore, are not a healthy snack.

The fourth-grade students at Bellview are beefing up their knowledge about nutrition and fitness. The kids learn about healthy lifestyle decisions through the Be a Fit Kid program.

Be a Fit Kid emphasizes healthy eating and physical activity. The program was recently adopted into the Ashland School District’s elementary school curriculum.

The program will reach fourth-graders throughout the Ashland School District and, by this time next year, have been incorporated into the health and physical education curriculum at all three Ashland elementary schools.

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When the bell rings after lunch on Mondays, 46 pairs of little sneakers stampede to the front of Bellview’s Classroom 9. They swarm around one of their favorite teachers, Jenny Slawta, a tiny woman dressed in pink.

"Jenny, Jenny, Jenny," they chirp as they wave their hands to get her attention.

The youngsters pepper her with questions like, "Do you know that there are 70 grams of fat in cottage cheese?"

Slawta, who holds a doctorate in exercise physiology and has a minor in nutrition, beams a smile and congratulates her students for doing their homework.

Slawta is an assistant professor in the Health and Physical Education Department at Southern Oregon University. She created the Be a Fit Kid program to help children improve their physical fitness.

The kids participate in exercise sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. On Mondays they also get a classroom lesson about nutrition.

Exercise groups stay indoors, or undercover, when the weather is rainy.

On these days, Bellview’s cavernous gym echoes with the rapid footsteps of relay races and jumping jacks. Laughter and yells rebound off the tall walls. The painted portrait of a Bobcat observes the bustle of activities directed by Slawta.

"We will do the relays quickly and quietly because I don’t have cones," said Slawta. "Normally I have cones, but I can’t find them."

Instead of plastic cones, she used pink-checkered linen napkins, rolled up and tied as if they were about to be put on a dinner table, to mark the lanes for the relay race.

Then she instructed a group of 10 bouncing 9-year-old boys on the rules of relay racing. The boys did not listen very well, which showed later when one group forgot to count their turns on the race course.

Slawta said the point of exercising is not about who wins, but rather about increasing the children’s heart rates and improving their fitness with fun activities.

During moments of good weather the youngsters get to go outside for their exercise. Slawta takes them to the track behind the playground, where they all line up and chatter while they wait to start.

As they wait, some students become fascinated by mud puddles on the side of the track.

Two of the girls are antsy to get going because running is so much fun. They can’t wait for the whole group to get ready. They grab each other’s hand and take off down the track, their hair flowing in the breeze as they round the first corner.

One concerned little girl has her eye on the sprinters. In a high voice she says, "Are Chelsea and Victoria supposed to be running?"

Slawta looks up and spots a pink coat bobbing around the second corner of the track. She chuckles and shakes her head. "Not yet, but they are anyway."

The program emphasizes activities such as running, and gives kids incentives for reaching personal goals.

"We try to make it, as much as possible, an individualized program, which means we give children different goals to focus on," said Slawta.

Many of the kids are intensely motivated to reach their personal goals. Some of them reach their goals and go beyond Slawta’s expectations.

Slawta pointed out two boys, Riley Richmond and Bailey, who ran 14 laps around the Bellview track during a distance-testing workout session. They were only supposed to do eight. She said they are extremely enthusiastic about the program and they are proud of themselves when they excel.

After Monday’s exercise session, Slawta teaches a short nutrition class. She also brings a healthy snack, in this case stir-fried tofu, for the kids to sample.

Riley’s mother, Jeniffer Richmond, helped to serve the snack to the class.

"My son does not eat a lot of vegetables. He loved (the snack)," she said. "I think the program is great and they should do it every year."

Another youngster, Caitlin Cheek, pays close attention to Slawta’s lessons in nutrition. Caitlin has learned how to make her own tasty, and healthy, school lunches. Caitlin said her mom helps her bake rolls and make vegetable soups, which she packs in her lunch before school in the mornings.

Bellview’s principal, Juanita Fagan, lobbied for the Be a Fit Kid program at the school.

"I have heard nothing but positive feedback from the kids," she said. "They are very proud about what they see as having adult knowledge about nutrition and physical fitness."

Before coming to Bellview Elementary, Be A Fit Kid piloted at Phoenix, Talent, and Ashland elementary schools and the Ashland Middle School over the last three years. The program was created by Slawta in 2002 in response to the surgeon general’s call to reduce and prevent obesity.

Be a Fit Kid includes pre- and post-intervention measurements of fitness, dietary habits and other health-related information.

During the 12-week program, three-fourths of participants showed significant health improvements, according to Slawta’s statistical observations.

Slawta’s results showed that before the Be a Fit Kid intervention, 81 percent of students surveyed were unable to meet the 50th percentile for the mile run time. The results also showed that 67 percent exceed recommendations for body fat.

After completing the Be a Fit Kid program, the participants reduced their body fat by an average of 2 percent. They improved their time on the mile run by an average of about three minutes.

Their diet reflected their improved ability to make healthy decisions. Their intake levels of total fat was down approximately 7 percent, from 33 percent of their diet to just 26 percent. Also, their intake levels of cholesterol and sodium were down significantly.

"We’ve had really good improvements in fitness," said Slawta. "What I’m really trying to do is promote lifelong interest in physical activity and healthy eating habits."

Slawta hopes the program will be able to reach more and more children as it grows over time. If Slawta has her way, Be a Fit Kid will expand to include the Medford elementary schools by 2007.

"We are trying very hard to raise money to fund the program," said Slawta. "Given that we are able to raise that money, that should allow us to hit the Medford schools next year."

Jamie Miller is a news intern for the Mail Tribune. Reach her at 776-4477.