Students working to impact school

With high numbers of Sayre Middle School students facing obesity, diabetes and a lack of after-school activities, many Penn students and staff actively been lending a hand to the West Philadelphia school.

In its thirteenth year, Penn's Center for Community Partnerships uses University resources to improve health education and after-school activities at the public school, located at 58th and Walnut streets.

"If we build community interest in the school and bring more resources into the school, [the community will be more likely] to advocate the needs of the school," Associate Dean for Practice and Community Affairs Eileen Sullivan-Marx said.

The CCP's involvement with Sayre is "not an isolated service project," College senior Chris Bower said. "It's a community project."

Over 30 Penn undergraduates volunteer every week at Sayre during and after school hours.

According to Bower, the program aims to "turn [Sayre] into a community center, open doors after school and provide comprehensive services like basketball to health education to ... job training for adults."

During the school day, the CCP runs health education classes. The program also offers sex education classes in which students learn about safety and risks.

After discussing various safe-sex methods in class, an 8th grader said, "Now I know to protect against STDs and what to use" for safer sex.

College junior Vanessa White said that she enjoys teaching the students because "they're so open" about the health issues they confront.

The CCP also formed the Urban Nutrition Initiative, which aims to improve the eating habits of Sayre students and combat obesity.

To encourage students to improve their eating habits, the program sponsors an after-school fruit stand.

White said that Sayre students have a lot of enthusiasm for the fruit stand.

"One of the kids even made a 'Holla At My Fruits' sign" for the stand, she said.

College senior Allison Lerer, said that the fruit stand gives Sayre students "options besides going to the Chinese store or pizza ... they can pick up an apple instead."

She added that "their number one fruit is by far pineapple. They line up after-school for pineapple. And if [pineapple runs out] they're so upset."

Further encouraging a healthy lifestyle, the CCP hosts a Family Fitness Night on Thursdays.

College senior Kate Holbrook, who coordinates the 2-hour weekly event, said that it offers many different recreational activities, from line-dancing to hip-hop to educational classes about health and fitness. The group is also working on scheduling health screenings and speakers on important health topics.

"The idea is that it's for the whole family," Holbrook said.

In a class headed by White, groups of four students brainstormed educational presentations for the Fitness Night audience. One group planned to create a poster about different causes and types of cancer.

"We'll tell [the audience] not to smoke. That gets you lung and mouth and throat cancer. Nasty," one 8th grader said.

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