Thursday, March 29, 2012 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW
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RKA plays host to HealthCorps event By PAULETTE SCHNEIDER The most wholesome place on earth last Thursday was the Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy gym, where hundreds of teens learned how to stay fit for life at the school’s annual health fair. The force behind the event is Dr. Mehmet Oz’s HealthCorps, a national organization that provides schools with “coordinators” who team up with teachers to mentor students in health-related classes and activities. RKA coordinator Austin Cromartie serves as assistant coach to the soccer and softball teams. He takes part in a Riverdale Community Center service group, leads a weekly after-school cooking club, motivates whoever needs a push, and stages the health fairs. Students this year sweated through hip-hop routines and jump rope sessions. They worked their biceps at military-style pull-ups. They discovered fruit smoothies, vegan ice cream and gluten-free cookies. They sampled stir-fried broccoli with mussels and a chicken dish, both prepared on the spot by competing teams of student chefs. On the less cheerful side, they wore special goggles that simulate drunkenness as they struggled to place a golf ball into a box and navigate around a line of cones. The sign at that booth said it all: “Intoxication Obstacle Course: You Booze, You Cruise, You Lose.” They examined a table laden with genuine, hospital-supplied human organs. A few diseased specimens, shriveled and malformed, cowered beside their healthy counterparts and taught an implicit lesson. RKA junior Danny McCauley was master of ceremonies. “I’m taking students in and showing them the different booths, the different aspects of health that they didn’t necessarily know about before,” he said. Many didn’t know about Sahaja meditation. “I took a group of athletes that I saw come in. They were sixth-graders,” said McCauley, a pitcher and meditation advocate. “I asked them, ‘What if I told
you this could enhance your focus?’ Two minutes later, we had, like, seven kids all around.” “I’ve done this before my games,” he said. “I almost pitched a no-hitter yesterday.” McCauley lamented the popularity of fast foods among kids. “It tastes great. They hear it’s bad for you, but what do they really know? But there’s this booth right here. I took a look at it, and it really grossed me out.” Sandeep Gurung manned the “What is in That?!” table, breaking the news to those who still eat Hostess twinkies that the cream-filled cakes contain, among other surprising ingredients, beef fat. Bubble gum has “sheep secretions.” Raspberry-flavored foods may harbor castoreum, a sweetener derived from beaver anal glands. No one stayed grossed out for long— healthful treats were just across the room. Chelsea Garcia whipped up a continuous supply of smoothies (bananas, strawberries, 2 percent milk, agave nectar). Citing the ingredients’ nutritional virtues, Garcia predicted that “if you decide to make this smoothie, you’ll be very energized and happy.” Entrepreneur Mark Roth served up his creation, raw ice cream (coconut meat, cashews, agave nectar and water, plus the flavorings). To be considered “raw,” a food must contain nothing heated beyond 120 degrees, preserving phytonutrients and antioxidants. “It’s soy-free, dairy-free and gluten-free,” bragged Roth, who studied biology and oncology. At her own Gluten Free booth was student Lindsey Crowe, diagnosed only five months ago with a rare form of celiac disease. Symptoms included an itchy rash that sprang up immediately when she ate foods containing wheat, barley or rye. She proffered samples from a line of gluten-free baked goods made by Tate’s Bake Shop. Back in the exercise area, Sergeant Nicholas Everidge supervised pull-ups while Staff Sergeant Michelle Grecco
explained the U.S. Army’s involvement in setting standards for fitness training at the school. “There’s a certain way we’re supposed to work out,” Grecco said. “It’s designed to work out your core muscles and prevent you from getting injuries.” Cromartie pointed out that exercise also prevents a loss of mental resilience. “I’ve been lifting with some guys who were previously unmotivated first period,” he said. “Their self-confidence came up, and they started getting better grades. So we started doing that every morning. Start the day off right—fitness in the morning, better grades in the afternoon.” His general advice: “Start your day off right with breakfast and fitness, and the rest of your day goes well.”
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RKA student Sandeep Gurung’s display reveals some hidden ingredients in everyday foods at the school’s annual health fair last week.
RSVP: Call Christine Leake (718) 405-3269 or email christine.leake@mountsaintvincent.edu To register visit: mountsaintvincent.force.com/events