Fighting Obesity In Toppenish
TOPPENISH -- KIMA has discovered how one local teacher is having a significant impact on the obesity epidemic among local teens. The Toppenish High school gym teacher has created a popular workout class that is giving dozens of kids the chance to take control of their lives.
Five days a week, two hours a day, the girls hit the gym running, jumping, and pushing themselves to get fit. It has been an emotional transformation for juniors like Leticia Ortiz.
"Now that I'm working out it's better for me, “said Leticia Ortiz.
Weight can define you in high school. It's tough to overcome the stigma among your peers. Leticia Ortiz weighed in at 200 pounds a couple months ago. It was her doctors who laid it on her; they told her to drop the weight or she could drop dead. It’s a huge challenge for a teen that is caught in a cycle of family obesity and diabetes. It's the same story for Jerilin Stevens.
"Basically my whole dad’s side of the family is diabetic and I don't want to be one of them," said Jerilin Stevens.
Jerilin admits to being a recovering couch potato. Now, she's on a different track.
"People like me think that because they're big they can't do it, but since I've been in her class you can do it,' said Jerilin.
Jerilin started a little over a week ago and has already lost five pounds. These girls are on track to lose up to 70 pounds in a year. Doris Dorr is the gym teacher at Toppenish High who started the program three years ago. It broke her heart to see so many girls pushed to the athletic and social sidelines simply because of their own weight. She immediately saw her role as a teacher expanding. She began helping one, then two, then a group of students.
Mrs. Dorr's Darlings as they call themselves know the alternative. What they didn't know is how much they had to gain by losing. The waiting list to get into Mrs. Dorr's fitness class now stands at 17. Those in the class find they can lose up to five pounds a week.
Five days a week, two hours a day, the girls hit the gym running, jumping, and pushing themselves to get fit. It has been an emotional transformation for juniors like Leticia Ortiz.
"Now that I'm working out it's better for me, “said Leticia Ortiz.
Weight can define you in high school. It's tough to overcome the stigma among your peers. Leticia Ortiz weighed in at 200 pounds a couple months ago. It was her doctors who laid it on her; they told her to drop the weight or she could drop dead. It’s a huge challenge for a teen that is caught in a cycle of family obesity and diabetes. It's the same story for Jerilin Stevens.
"Basically my whole dad’s side of the family is diabetic and I don't want to be one of them," said Jerilin Stevens.
Jerilin admits to being a recovering couch potato. Now, she's on a different track.
"People like me think that because they're big they can't do it, but since I've been in her class you can do it,' said Jerilin.
Jerilin started a little over a week ago and has already lost five pounds. These girls are on track to lose up to 70 pounds in a year. Doris Dorr is the gym teacher at Toppenish High who started the program three years ago. It broke her heart to see so many girls pushed to the athletic and social sidelines simply because of their own weight. She immediately saw her role as a teacher expanding. She began helping one, then two, then a group of students.
Mrs. Dorr's Darlings as they call themselves know the alternative. What they didn't know is how much they had to gain by losing. The waiting list to get into Mrs. Dorr's fitness class now stands at 17. Those in the class find they can lose up to five pounds a week.
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