| Updated: 3/07 10:16 am |
Published: 3/06 10:50 pm
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So much of the attention, on the area near 61st and Peoria has been on crime and most recently, community-efforts to turn things around.
However, there's another serious concern for many of the students. Students who attend Marshall Elementary, a few blocks away, took a special test that measures students' body mass index.
Every week bags of food are brought into the school. Those bags are supposed to go home with students, but rarely do they make it out of Marshall elementary hallway.
Volunteers stuffed them to help fill the gaps in what hundreds of students are able to eat at home.
Kayla Robinson is the principal at the school. Recently, some of her students underwent BMI testing.
In one way the testing had nothing to do with what they learn from textbooks but, in another way everything to do with how well they learn.
“About half of them are considered overweight or obese," said Robinson.
Eating habits directly linked to school performance. The Tulsa County Health Department's is testing the BMI of students in and around Tulsa because of the It’s All About Kids initiative.
"It gives us tools to use for planning for educational programs," said Robinson.
Already, students are spending more time in P.E classes. Robinson said sometimes, school provides the most activity students see.
When families shop for groceries it’s usually done at corner stores. All of it making efforts all the more critical for the health of the students, which can dramatically shape their success.
