Basketball players teach healthy living at local elementary school



Listen to the audio story from Annenberg Radio News:

—–

The schoolyard of Para Los Ninos Charter School in East Los Angeles transformed into a stage for two very bubbly, very tall Harlem Globetrotters. “Special K” and “The Shot” were there to show off their basketball tricks, but they were also there to spread the gospel of healthy living to a crowd of low-income, mostly Latino students.

I went to cover the show, but I had some competition.

A group of four girls surrounded me, notebooks in hand.

“I’m wearing a press pass. It’s so they can know we’re on the newspaper team,” said one.

The third and fourth graders sitting atop bleachers in the noonday sun, could hardly contain their excitement when the players’ coaching session was over and the real show began. The Globetrotters spun balls on their heads, fingers and even shoulders.

Health is a major priority at the school. Nearly all of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches. They’re catered by Unified Nutrimeals. Principal Judy Perlmutter describes the lunches as “low sodium, no high fructose corn syrup, fresh fruit and vegetables every day.”

Still, it’s a hard battle with a McDonald’s literally next door to the school. The students’ parents work in the factories near the school, some are living in temporary hotels downtown or shuttle from far away – they’re working class families.

And so complete chaos broke out when each student was given two tickets to a Globetrotters show. Kids leapt from the bleachers and started swarming and tackling the two Globetrotters with such sheer excitement that they knocked one of them to the ground.

The coolest trick of the day: “He passed the basketball onto her finger. It was so crazy,” reported an excited student. Crazy indeed.

Comments

  1. Cornrefiner says:

    High fructose corn syrup is made from corn, a natural grain product that is no more processed than sugar, fruit juice concentrate, or agave nectar production.

    According to Margo Wootan, Nutrition Policy Director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, “Banishing high-fructose corn syrup is ‘a waste of time and money’ – better to limit children’s total sugar intake.”

    There is no nutritional benefit gained by replacing high fructose corn syrup with another caloric sweetener. According to the American Dietetic Association, “high fructose corn syrup…is nutritionally equivalent to sucrose. Once absorbed into the blood stream, the two sweeteners are indistinguishable.”

    As many dietitians agree, all sugars should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced lifestyle.

    Consumers can see the latest research and learn more about high fructose corn syrup at http://www.CornSugar.com.

    Audrae Erickson
    President
    Corn Refiners Association

  2. Linda Farr RD/LD says:

    The belief that high fructose corn syrup is unhealthy and increasing obesity in America is not founded in science. Studies comparing high fructose corn syrup to sucrose have found no significant differences in how they perform in the body nor in their caloric content. All sugars and caloric sweeteners should be used in moderation as part of a healthy diet.
    Linda Farr RD,LD, consultant to the Corn Refiners Association

  3. ayu azhari says:

    Players should spend a good 10 minutes a day (at minimum) visualizing in their mind themselves performing well on the basketball court.Even if a player dedicates just 15 minutes a day on improving their mental basketball state, they will improve as a player 5 to 10 times quicker than if they focusing on just physical skills. kitchen remodelling
    kitchen cabinet remodel
    kitchen remodel ideas

  4. cosa aranda says:

    Did you ever wonder how the best basketball players in the world got so good? Why is it that some people get to the NBA and others don’t? Why do some people get college scholarships to play basketball and others don’t? Of course the answer is that these people are better players than everybody else, but that begs the question; how do they get so good?
    trends kitchen
    your faucets
    your improve
    kitchen remodel

  5. stanfordeddie says:

    Great! A rather theatrical approach, buy dapoxetine to teaching children about good health.

  6. stanfordeddie says:

    Certainly with dapoxetine, as wellas Creating a healthy body and mind allows us to do more and live a longer, more vibrant, and meaningful life.

Speak Your Mind

*