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Garfield taking advantage of childhood obesity grant
Staff Writer Third-graders at Garfield Elementary School are learning how to develop healthy habits that potentially could last a lifetime, thanks to a $50,000 childhood obesity grant, the Brainerd School Board learned Monday.
Funding for the program was provided to St. Joseph's Medical Center by the University of Minnesota Health Center through an allocation from the discretionary portion of the State of Minnesota's Medical Education and Research Cost.
Dr. Mark Gray of Brainerd Medical Center, along with third-year medical students from the University of Minnesota, had proposed using this grant to help reduce childhood obesity.
The third-grade students at Garfield Elementary School have been the recipients of this project. Since last spring, the program has introduced third-graders to healthy snacks by Betty McAllister, a nutritionist from the University of Minnesota Extension Service, who visits students each week.
Andrew Gunderson, a third-year U of M medical student, told board members that the grant has allowed them to purchase pedometers for the third-grade students, who are encouraged to keep track of their steps at home and in school. Recently, stability balls were purchased for two of the three third-grade classrooms and will replace student chairs. The stability balls help strengthen students' core muscles, help them stay attentive and even help improve students' writing skills. The school also has a salad bar once a week.
Gunderson said that before Christmas break the third-graders' body mass index (BMI) was taken and will be rechecked in the future to gauge how the program has affected their weight. The measurements were to be kept anonymous for the study. A future project is to look at the formation of a walking school bus, which would allow students who live in the neighborhood to safely walk to school together.
Kristin Smith, Marlene Anhalt and Stephanie Dorn, all Garfield third-grade teachers, spoke highly of the program and explained how students have become excited about exercising and eating healthy.
"When kids get movement and get more oxygen in their body they're able to concentrate more," Smith said.
Anhalt said she's seen her students make better health and food choices and they're enthusiastic about them, too.
Dorn said McAllister will speak to her students Tuesday about lettuce, and students were excited about learning how to grow their own lettuce.
When asked if this program would expand to include other grade levels or schools, Gray said, "This is still a work in progress."
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
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