School on front line of battle against obesity

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) - In the battle against obesity, schools need to be on the front line. That word comes one day after a report by The Institute of Medicine found that two-thirds of adults and nearly a third of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese.

To trim America's waistline, changes are needed everywhere, say authors of a report on the spread of American obesity. But schools, they say, should be the cornerstone of the obesity battle.

Recess at Orchard Park elementary in Carmel is 15 minutes a day. It’s a great way for the 5- to 11-year-olds in kindergarten through fifth grade to get some exercise, but it barely scratches the surface in teaching students the importance of health and wellness.

That’s why the school doesn’t stop there.

"This is something we're most proud of, because we have raised enough money to build a track at Orchard Park Elementary. Because we are on track to fitness around here," said Rhonda Turner, the school’s principal.

Turner said the school sold bricks to help pay for the track, which will be used by students and members of the Carmel community. Turner said the commitment to health and wellness at Orchard Park begins with students and staff signing a pledge.

"That … half of our plate would be fruits and vegetables. That we would get an hour of activity every day. That we would avoid sugary snacks, and would try and limit our TV time and our video game time as well," Turner explained.

It's a message students like fifth-graders Soraya Penix and Nathan Milam understand.

"I think if you start eating healthy foods when you're younger, it'll definitely make a difference as you get older," Soraya said.

"They say you will become stronger and you will put on less weight if you eat the healthy items instead of always picking the bad items," Nathan said.

Cafeteria food at Orchard Park has changed too. It's about healthy choices now, with cookies available only once a month to celebrate student birthdays. School nurse Diane Riemenschnitter said the results she sees in students every day ended any doubt the wellness program would make a difference.

"At the elementary level, it changes kids,” she said. “They come to me and talk to me every day about what they've eaten, the healthy choices they've made or what they are doing for exercise currently that day. They listen to you at the elementary level," she said.

The school points out it can't do it alone. Students need to take the healthy attitude home and use it there.

Orchard Park participates in Project 18, a wellness curriculum put together by former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. It's a competition the school won this year. They got a visit from Manning and a check, which will be used to help fund their health and wellness program.