Last Friday, for the first time this semester, I saw 8 a.m. sunshine as I drove with my peers to Arsenal Middle School. Our Dance Pedagogy class was set to perform four dances at what was to us, a “getting to know you” assembly for the 8th graders. Actually, it was more of a “welcome back” assembly run by the returning facilitators of the HEALTHY program. In between announcements, recaps from last year, awards, and descriptions of their upcoming goals our dancers performed jazz, tap, ballroom, and hip-hop pieces.
After pledging to the flag, and despite my overwhelming nostalgia for giant green lockers, I managed to gain a deeper understanding of just what the HEALTHY program means to Arsenal Middle School. The enthusiastic people sporting the HEALTHY t-shirts were returning for their third and final year as part of a nationwide initiative sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. These educators have been working with the same group of students since the kids were in 6th grade.
It was interesting to hear an overview of the different ways HEALTHY has and is working to enrich the school’s wellness program. Last year the kids participated in something called a “cafeteria lab” where they were able to test different bags of chips and guess their fat content.
The theme this year is Energy Balance. It stresses the importance of drinking water and being active. The key is to balance “calories in with calories out.” There will be an Energy Balance Olympics with challenges to eat healthier, to consume less sugar drinks, to be more active, and to lessen screen time. In true nature of the recent games in Beijing, medals will be awarded to those students who show the most progress.
Near the end of the assembly there was a short clip of two celebrities who imparted motivational messages to the audience. The youngest Jonas brother revealed his diagnosis with type 1 diabetes and described his healthy methods for dealing with the disease. Also, Jacob Dylan was recorded describing “what healthy means to him.”
By the end of the assembly I had learned a number of new things about the program at Arsenal Middle School and the significance of our role in HEALTHY. It was exhilarating to hear the clapping of the students excited to have dancers as guests in their school. They cheered loudest for the hip-hop piece choreographed to the song “No Air” by Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown. The dance lessons we teach will reflect the pieces we choreographed in the show and function as the way students balance “calories in with calories out” during the school day.
I believe the “welcome back” assembly at Arsenal was a success for all the parties involved. The next stop for our Dance Pedagogy class will be Frick International!
