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| Supporters praise students who stuck with FIITNESS |
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| Written by Maddy Houk / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Friday, 18 April 2008 | |
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“I think it was more about learning; we have to be active in our lives in order to be healthy.” — Kathy Pon Assistant superintendent of educational services Sixteen Patterson High School freshmen graduated Thursday night from the Project FIITNESS lifestyle program and came away with new motivation, ideas, a certificate and gifts from area merchants.  Students from Patterson High School’s Project FIITNESS program jump into the pool at Patterson Aquatic Center on Wednesday as they celebrate graducation from the program. The program aims to get students to improve health habits, such as eating and exercise. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator “It means so much to me to stand up and say, ‘I can make it,’” Hicks told the gathering. “We’re planting the seed in this town of Patterson. Look around, there are wonderful men and women who are blossoming.” Participants spent 20 weeks learning about healthy lifestyles, exercise and motivation. Program sponsor West Valley Health Coalition consists of Del Puerto Health Center, Patterson Unified School District, Westside Community Alliance, Patterson Parks and Recreation and the Health Net insurance company. Project FIITNESS (Fostering Individual Improvement Through Nutrition, Exercise and Student Specialists) began in October when students were weighed and measured and had their Body Mass Index taken. Students at Thursday’s gathering narrated a slide presentation of what they had done in the past five months to become healthier and have more energy. Fabiola Contreras, 15, who lost 30 pounds, said she took power walks and exercised at Curves for Women, strategies she plans to continue. “I’m in this program because I used to be fat,” Fabiola said. “I wanted to get healthier and get skinnier.” Dr. Eric Ramos of Del Puerto Health Center, who had the idea for the program, urged participants to continue their pursuit of good health. “With every award comes a responsibility,” Ramos said. “Your responsibility is to improve your health and spread the word about health.” Ramos said he hopes to see this year’s participants mentor incoming freshmen next year. They would act as ambassadors to younger students and to the community by promoting a healthy lifestyle, he said. Studies show overweight children have health risks, such as a greater likelihood of high cholesterol levels, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, sleep apnea and other health problems. More than 80 percent become obese teens and adults with a variety of health ailments.  Andrea Arellano, a Patterson High ninth-grader in Project FIITNESS, snacks on a carrot and other vegetables and fruits during Thursday’s graduation ceremony at Patterson Aquatic Center. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Along the way, the kids and their parents attended motivational meetings and programs. Families attended sessions that focused on nutrition and healthy meals. Students set personal goals and learned to build self-esteem. Their progress was monitored along the way, and they received physicals. Beto Barajas, 15, signed up to be in the program because he wanted to get healthy and lose weight. “I changed my eating habits by eating less food,” Beto said after the ceremony. “I ate more healthy food and didn’t go to fast food restaurants.” His mother, Raquel Barajas, said she cooks differently for her whole family now. “I take the fat off the meat,” Barajas said in Spanish. “I started using different types of oils and serve more healthy food.” Andrea Arellano, 15, said she wanted to eat healthier and wanted to know what kinds of exercises she could do besides running. “I learned how to use the exercise ball,” Andrea said. “I used different kinds of equipment and did weight training in the field house. We took walks in Diablo Grande. “I feel better because we had several meetings on how to make healthier choices and made different kinds of food with less calories.” Andrea’s mother, Leticia Arellano, said she made changes for her family’s health, too, including twice-daily walks with her husband and trying out a new way of cooking. “I use less fat and less red meat and more vegetables, too,” Arellano said in Spanish. “We’re eating more salads. I’m cooking without using oil — I just boil or bake. We drink water or juice without sweeteners and no sodas.” “I could live without sodas,” her 10-year-old daughter, Elena, chimed in. Kathy Pon, assistant superintendent of educational services for the Patterson Unified School District, had worked with students and families since October and was thrilled with the outcome. “I think it was more about learning; we have to be active in our lives in order to be healthy,” Pon said. “All the kids do have a better awareness about how fitness and nutrition fit into their lifestyles.” Lauren Cozart, of Patterson Parks and Recreation Department, also worked with the teens. “I’m really proud of the kids — they stuck with it,” Cozart said. “We hit some road bumps along the way, but they stuck to it. We hope they have an awareness of fitness in their lifestyles.” To reach Maddy Houk at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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