JAMES DOBSON

FIT FIN SPRING 2017 VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2

(Please see Leader Page 3)

Six Fit Fin reporters inter-

viewed the cofounder of the Black

Women in Sports Foundation for a

book that will be published this

spring about leaders in the Phila-

delphia area.

Mrs. Tina Sloan Green visited

the Fit Fin this winter and told

the reporters about her career as

an athlete, a coach, and a leader

in encouraging young people—

especially girls—to participate in

sports.

The Fit Fin article will appear

in the book "Leading Healthy

Change In Our Communities

2017" which will be published by

Healthy NewsWorks. Mrs. Sloan

Green will be one of 12 leaders

featured in the book.

Mrs. Sloan Green grew up in

Philadelphia, not far from the air-

port. In her neighborhood, she

didn't have access to organized

sports. However, she was active

and played games outside with

other children, she said.

"I loved to run and be free,"

she said.

At 14, she enrolled at the

Illustration by Jayla Clark

Reporters interview health leader

Contributing to book

Philadelphia’s new tax on sug-

ary beverages is meeting with a

mixed reception among teachers

at James Dobson.

Ms. Kay, the school nurse,

said she really likes where the

money goes. It is being spent on

pre-kindergarten and other city

programs. "We should have the

tax because it helps people drink

less sugary drinks," she said.

According to the City of Phila-

delphia’s website, the Philadel-

phia beverage tax is a 1.5-cent tax

on each ounce of a sweetened bev-

erage. This includes drinks like

regular or diet soda and sweet-

ened teas—any drink that has

added sugar or a sugar-substitute.

The tax came into effect on Jan. 1

and it affects a lot of people. Busi-

nesses like delis, restaurants, and

grocery stores must raise the

prices on their drinks and their

customers pay more for sweetened

drinks.

The tax money will fund im-

portant government services like

pre-kindergarten education, com-

munity schools and parks, and

recreation centers and libraries,

according to the website. The city

sees this use of the tax money as a

way to make "much needed in-

(Please see Teachers Page 3)

Opinions

vary about

soda tax

PAGE 2 SPRING 2017 JAMES DOBSON F IT F IN

Make sure you get enough zzz's Editor’s note: Fit Fin staff recently interviewed

teachers about why it is important for students to get

enough sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics

recommends that children ages 6 to 12 sleep between 9

and12 hours a day. Teens need between 8 and 10

hours a day.

* * *

Dobson school Nurse Kay said most students

don’t get enough sleep. She said that she can tell

when kids don’t get enough sleep because they are

unfocused or don’t pay attention in class.

When kids go to sleep in class, Nurse Kay said

she makes them wash their face, take a walk down

the hall, or get a drink of water. She also said that

getting enough sleep is important because it helps

kids be mentally, physically, and behaviorally

healthy. To get enough sleep, she suggested that chil-

dren turn off the TV, sleep in a cool room, and turn

off phones.

Nurse Kay said she reads or listens to music to

fall asleep. —By Fit Fin staff

* * *

Mrs. Turner, the fifth grade teacher, said some

students come to school tired. "They are on their

phones at night and they are not engaged in class or

doing their work," she said.

She even said that is important for kids to get

sleep because it helps them focus and learn more.

"If [students] fall asleep in class, I ask them if

they aren’t feeling good," she said. "If they feel sick I

will send them to the nurse. If they are perfectly fine,

I tell them to go get a drink."

She had some advice for kids to sleep better. "Go

to sleep early ... and keep your phone away,” Ms.

Turner said. —By Abbigail Amero

* * *

"Getting enough rest makes you focused and

ready," said Mrs. Heyward, a second grade teacher.

She said most kids at Dobson get enough sleep.

She notices when a student doesn’t get enough sleep.

The kids are very lethargic or drowsy. They tend to

put their head down. They yawn. They have trouble

focusing and don’t participate as much in classroom

activities.

"If a child falls asleep in class, I might tell them

to get a drink of water or ask them if they want a

snack," Mrs. Heyward said. If the student is always

sleeping or not participating, she said that she will

call the student's home.

Mrs. Heyward offered a few tips for children to

get enough sleep every night. 1. Eat dinner a couple

hours before bed. 2. Read a book before bed.

"It is important for students to get enough sleep

because they are able to focus better, they are clearer

in their decision-making and if they get enough rest

[and] they don’t get sick as often,” Mrs. Heyward

said. —By Allison Laumeister, Sophia Collazo,

Angelique Bryson, and Alexandra Peña

* * *

"I think children don’t get enough sleep because

they do many other things like play video games or

play on their cell phones," said Mrs. Coston, an indi-

vidual tutor at Dobson school who works 1-on-1 with

students. Mrs. Coston said sleep helps "our minds to

think and learn and be in good health."

She suggested children to have a fixed bedtime,

take a warm bath or shower, and listen to soft music.

—By Matthew Flynn

James Dobson Fit Fin

A publication of James Dobson School in the School District

of Philadelphia. Student staff members include Abbigail Amero,

Mia Baker, Tylee Brown, Angelique Bryson, Amber Bullard,

Addisyn Carbaugh, Jayla Clark, Sophia Collazo, Angelo Farabelli,

Elliot Finch, Matthew Flynn, Gavin Galante, Kara Horvat, Riley

Kennedy, LaDona Landeros, Allison Laumeister, Alexandra Peña,

Maria Phillips, Niame Scott, and Jacob Wynne. The Fit Fin's fac-

ulty advisor is Ms. Wolfson.

A Healthy NewsWorks® project • www.HealthyNewsWorks.org

Healthy NewsWorks is a member of New Beginnings Non-

profit Incubator at Resources for Human Development. Funders

include Claneil Foundation and First Hospital Foundation.

This document is protected by applicable law. All rights reserved.

Preparing for a healthy life The Fit Fin is reporting stories this year about why it is

important to eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, get

enough sleep, and be resilient. It's part of our "Play Well:

Preparing for a healthy life" special topic. How are you pre-

paring for a healthy life? Tell us by writing a letter.

Illustration by Addisyn Carbaugh

A good night's sleep helps you stay alert in school.

PAGE 3 SPRING 2017 JAMES DOBSON F IT F IN

Leader urges kids to be active

Teachers share views about soda tax

Philadelphia High School for Girls. The teachers no-

ticed her athletic ability. The physical education

teachers asked her to try out for field hockey. The

request startled her. She didn't know anything about

the sport. And a field hockey stick seemed like a

"crazy thing," Mrs. Sloan Green recalled.

"Back then if a teacher told you to do something,

there were no ifs, ands, or buts. You did it," she said.

After graduation, she enrolled at West Chester

University, where she studied to become a teacher

and learned to play lacrosse. She quickly picked up

the sport. Soon she became one of the best lacrosse

players in the nation and was chosen as a member of

the U.S. women's lacrosse team. She even traveled

with the team to Australia and Japan to introduce

the sport to young people.

Eventually, she became the lacrosse coach at

Temple University. Her teams won three national

championships and her 1988 team went undefeated.

She helped to set up the Black Women in Sports

Foundation in the early 1990s. The foundation has

run programs encouraging children—starting as

young as pre-school—to be active. It also promotes

and teaches nontraditional sports such as tennis, golf,

lacrosse, hockey, and fencing.

The Fit Fin reporters who researched, inter-

viewed, and wrote the story that will be in the new

book are Angelique Bryson, Sophia Collazo, Angelo

Farabelli, Kara Horvat, Allison Laumeister, and Al-

exandra Peña. Jayla Clark's illustration that appears

on the front page of this issue will be in the book.

Healthy NewsWorks will donate a classroom set

of the book to Dobson. Previous editions are available

at Dobson. Please check with Dr. Cruice to borrow

them. —By Sophia Collazo, Jayla Clark,

and Alexandra Peña

vestments" and "tackle [its] largest and most crip-

pling problems head-on," according to its website.

For some teachers at Dobson, the increase in

price has been notable. This is the case for Mrs.

Jarrett, the fourth grade teacher. "My dad took my

son, Wyatt, to [a store] one day," she said. "He got

himself a Coke and Wyatt a juice box. My father was

so surprised because his total was around $3 more

than usual," Mrs. Jarrett said.

She said the new tax has made Mrs. Jarrett re-

consider buying soda.

The higher prices have also meant that some

teachers buy less soda or shop for their groceries out-

side of Philadelphia. For example, Mrs. Rogers, the

school counselor, said she brings soda from home or

just drinks water from the school. Ms. Rubin, the K-2

learning support teacher, chooses not to buy soda out-

side Philadelphia because "it is too inconvenient." She

also said she rarely buys soda.

(Continued from Page 1)

Illustration by Abbigail Amero

(Continued from Page 1)

The new tax has not yet made Mrs. Turner sec-

ond-guess her soda purchases in part because she

shops outside Philadelphia. "I do my food shopping in

King of Prussia [where there is no sweetened-

beverage tax] to buy my sugary drinks," she said.

Still, she said, she likely will change her pur-

chases in Philadelphia. "If given the choice I would

rather buy a bottle of water than pay extra for soda

or iced tea," Mrs. Turner said. —Story by Fit Fin staff

—Illustration by Alexandra Peña

SPRING 2017 JAMES DOBSON F IT F IN PAGE 4

Dobson teachers said they

run, dance, and lift weights to

keep their bones strong.

Mrs. Linder, a third grade

teacher, said she jogs because it

helps her clear her mind. "I like to

jog on the weekends," Mrs. Linder

said. She runs two or three times

a week—either outside when it is

warm or on the treadmill in her

basement.

Dobson PE teacher Mrs. Foulk

said she uses her membership at

Planet Fitness to exercise on the

treadmill at least three times a

week. She said the activity helps

her concentrate.

Mrs. Bruist, a substitute

teacher, said she likes to dance at

least four times a week to

strengthen her bones and express

her creativity.

Building strong bones starts

in childhood, according to the Sur-

geon General’s 2015 Report on

Bone Health and Osteoporosis.

When you jump, run, or lift a

weight, it puts stress on your

bones, the report says. This sends

a signal to your body that your

bones need to be made stronger,

according to the Surgeon Gen-

eral's report.

The report also recommends

that kids should be physically ac-

tive every day and eat foods that

contain calcium and Vitamin D.

Developing strong bones can

help you avoid problems when you

grow up, according to the Best

Bones Forever website. One prob-

lem is disease—called osteoporo-

sis. The disease weakens bones.

In recent interviews, the Fit

Fin learned that school staff mem-

bers strengthen their bones in a

variety of ways. Ms. Cohen, school

secretary, said she exercises in

her house using workout tapes

and dumbbells. She said she likes

strengthening her bones.

Mrs. Antrim, an autistic sup-

port teacher, said that she cleans

her home every weekend and

walks her active dog, Tyson, every

day to keep her bones strong.

"I like the reward of sweating

and [the] finished product," Mrs.

Antrim said.

Jump, dance, run to build your bones

The Fit Fin surveyed 90 stu-

dents in grades 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 to

find out what their favorite bone-

strengthening activity is. They

had a choice of basketball, base-

ball/softball, dance, running, soc-

cer, and jump rope.

The most popular bone-

strengthening activity is basket-

ball, according to the survey. Of

the 90 students who voted, 25 said

they liked basketball best.

Illustration by Jayla Clark

Students favor basketball

Dr. Cruice, the school princi-

pal, said she practices yoga three

to four times a week in her home

during the winter. She said she

also enjoys yoga because "it’s

great for [her] mind, body and

spirit." ——By Fit Fin staff

Basketball was also most

popular among all the boys and

all the girls.

Among second grades, there

was a tie between dancing and

basketball. Third and fourth grad-

ers preferred basketball

In fifth grade, there was a tie

among basketball, soccer, and

baseball/softball. Soccer/softball

won among eighth graders.

—By Angelo Farabelli

and Jayla Clark