Pizza, chips and pop (diet or regular) describe the average lunch of the typical teenager at LHS. The common saying, “you are what you eat” illustrates the rise in sick teenagers, due to obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Children learn from a young age what to eat or what not to eat based on example and what adults tell them. The staff of the Lewiston School District continues to fail to provide proper education and examples to the students in their physical and nutritional health. The average student spends six to seven hours a day at school, which means that this environment influences a 5-18 year-old. How students eat at school reflects how they eat at home and later in life. Just about how many adolescents are actually eating nutritionally and exercising on a daily basis? According to researchers, not enough.

At school, students remain inactive as they sit at their desks during the day, only moving to change classes or to eat lunch. Physical education continues to provide poor motivation for students, especially for kids who need it the most. In addition, the school cafeteria continues to ignore the healthier options available for students.

Recently,he faculty of the Lewiston School District only mandated that students received three physical education credits and one health credit. Students often perceived these pass-fail classes as easy. Thirty years ago, the faculty of the school required students to take the foods and nutrition classes; lately the students chose to take it as an elective. What messages were the school representatives sending to the student body about their personal health and wellbeing?

The lack of motivation from LHS administrators and teachers leads students to believe that their personal health matters only a small amount. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease in adolescent students’ continues to spread throughout the nation. Children as young as the age of five now develop diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, never before seen in anyone under the age of 18. These sicknesses and obstructions to their future prevent them from living long, healthy lives, but only while citizens are unaware of the danger. Many critics state that the family, not the school, seriously needs to address this problem.

The average citizen thinks of a healthy family as the stereotypical, white, middle class family (as seen on shows such as Leave It to Beaver), where viewers see a family sharing its problems over a healthy dinner. Researchers state that eating with the family creates a healthy and happy environment for children that keeps them out of trouble. However, studies show that in reality, more than 60 percent of families eat together less than once every two-to-three weeks. The 40 percent who eat together either on a regular basis either watch TV over a take-out meal or eat in silence where absolutely no communication passes between the parents and the children. Almost all, give or take about 20 percent of those families, cook their food and teach their children the value of nutrition. Less than ten percent of the population in the U.S. eats together more than five times in a week. The fast-food industry dominates family’s dinning out schedules, due to the active lifestyle.

One problem with adding staff involves the lack of money due to state budget cuts. The average teacher works longer and sometimes more difficult hours, in very difficult budgetary times, which creates problems when asking them to take on another class or an after school-club.

The Lewiston School District already employs a full-time dietician -Judy Huff -who over sees the menu at LHS along with other Lewiston schools. However, the emphasis needs to be spent on educating the consumer not employing dieticians. Money needs to be spent toward dieticians who can multi-task as educators.

In addition, the cafeteria offers fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis for students, whether or not they take them. The cafeteria ladiestries to incorporate a diverse diet, where they offer low fat, sugar free, vegetarian and at least a small amount of vegan food to meet the dietary needs of students. However, in a recent survey of a handful of random students, they state that they prefer not to take these foods because of the grade of the foods.

Therefore, if the family fails to provide proper education and support to young people in their health, school staff needs to offer nutrition classes as a required credit and motivate them to exercise. Since after-school activities absorb much of the average student’s time, the school staff needs to offer a health club that teaches students to cook healthy foods and shows them how to exercise correctly. Since the average young adult needs about 60 minutes of physical exercise every day, the school needs to offer an after-school club for students (of athletic background or not) to participate and improve their health. Finally, since many students eat fast food lunch off campus, administrators need to close the campus in order to take away that unhealthy option.

Recently, a 2008 LHS graduate bragged about how he spent his lunch period. He started his lunch out at McDonalds where he bought two Big Macs and fries, then finished his lunch period at Starbucks with a grande frappuccino, before rushing into class in the last minute, barely tardy, but with coffee in hand.

Although students enjoy the freedom of eating fast food at lunch, their health needs need to come before their desires. Teenagers continue to be a powerful economic consumer in the community, due to their careless spending. Though businesses need the teenagers’ lunchtime spending, the overall improvement of students’ health needs to come before a business transaction.

“You are what you eat,” says Claude Fischler, a French sociologist. Unfortunately, it looks like a lot of unnecessary trouble for the future of American teenagers. The staff of the Lewiston School District needs to provide proper examples and education to the students in their physical and nutritional health to prevent them from developing the terrible diseases that lay ahead.

Kay McIntosh
-Entertainment Editor