A Daily Cup Of Jo
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School Lunches Aren't Getting Rave Reviews
By Daisy Patino
Two years ago Josephinum Academy an all-girls school on the northwest side of Chicago removed all the unhealthy food choices from school lunches.
According to Let’s Move a national campaign to fight childhood obesity, students eat at least half of their meals at school so good nutrition in school is more important then ever.
As the Josephinum school lunch changed to look more delicious and be more nutritious some students still aren’t willing to eat the school lunch and get food from vending machines.
“They’re decent but I wished the school offered more options” said senior Kelly Reynolds a student at Josephinum Academy.
Some students wish there was more options especially a vegetarian friendly menu.
“The school lunch is way too expensive and it’s not fair.” Says senior Alexis Smyser, who is one of the many students who has to pay for her own lunch. She thinks the size of the portion isn’t worth the $3.50 she pays.
Reynolds added, “The price is okay, but I think if you’re only getting a part of the lunch, like you don’t get the vegetables, the price should be less.”
“I wish the school served more and bigger portions of fruit,” said senior Daisy Cortez.
Students who attended Josephinum two years ago all confirmed that the lunches were not very healthy and did not have much flavor. Having this new lunch program has been an improvement for the school but it still has not satisfied all the students.
By Danielle McCullough
According to a 2009 Centers for Disease Control report, one in three children are obese or overweight before the age of five. Leading to serious and deadly health issues for today’s youth. Patty Mulvihill a former retired health teacher says, “we are a society that sits around screens, phones, computers, and television.” A recent CDC report echo’s this noting, children between the ages of 8-18 years old spend about an average of 7.5 hours a day in front of some kind of screen.
Being inactive and not eating the right foods play a role in childhood obesity. The CDC states children living in low-income families are more likely to be obese because they have less access to healthy and fresh foods and fewer opportunities for physical activity.
Samantha Smyser, a senior at Josephinum Academy made a news years resolution to eat healthier, “I think healthy food is available but it is not easily accessible, you have to try harder to find it and it’s more expensive. “
When asked what can be done to decrease the risks, Mulvihill answered “To add exercise even if it's just twenty minutes a day and to stop drinking pop and just eat healthy foods. Lots of fruits and vegetables and lots of proteins.”
Smyesr adds, “If you don’t take care of your body a lot of things can go wrong and you will be unhealthy and unhappy.”
Will this be the first generation of kids who won't outlive their parents?
By Sabrina River and Diana Servin
April 8, 2013
Now in her thirties Yessenia Rivera recalls the moment when she first found out about her unplanned pregnancy, “I was fourteen years old when I found out I was pregnant. When I found out it was a great surprise, I had actually accompanied my friend who was going for a pregnancy test. She told me to take one too so I did, and at the end they called us in and I was the one to be a mother."
Although giving birth to a baby is a blessing, at this age many parents would not agree to it and would be angered. Shannah stated, “When I found out I was pregnant most of all I was scared and angry because I didn’t know how my father would react because I knew he was short tempered.” When teens find out they are pregnant it is a hard time in their life, and a time in which hard decisions are to be made.
A teen mother who did not want to give her name stated in an interview, “As a teen mom I feel I got support from both my boyfriend’s side and my own. This support helped me greatly and helped me to believe that everything was going to be ok. The support I got was from them telling me how a baby grows, all the way to comforting me and just being by my side the entire way.”
We need people who care for these teens, and are willing to help them for who they are and not because they are part of this statistic. We need to let it be known that even when we make mistakes we can get back up if we have people who are willing to motivate us.
Former teen mon Yessenia Rivera who found out she was pregnant at the age of 14 said, “I feel teen pregnancy takes place when they (teens) are missing something, lack of love, lack of attention, and of support, in which leads them to make these decisions.”
Rosalinda Torres, mother of teen Diana Servin said, “The amount of support they need is a lot, they need to know that you are there for them and they know that you will be there for them and the baby. Not only let them know but actually be there.”
It is also very common for a teen mom to raise the child alone, young fathers often don't stick around. Based on “In The Know Zone” their statistics show that 90% of the time the father abandons the mother and pays on average less than $800 annually for child support. Based on this statistic it shows that teen mothers are going to need a lot of support.
A recent study from the Chicago Department of Public Health stated that the teen birth rate in Chicago dropped 33 percent. While this is good news the Chicago of city still has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country. According to the Illinois department of Public health, Illinois ranks 18th in the country for teen birth rates with a rate of 60.0 per 1,000 teens.
Teen Pregnancy Is More Then Just a Statistic
By Diamond Winston
April 8, 2013
A study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that one in three boys between the ages of 15-17 feel pressured to have sex. Typically other male friends putting are on the pressure.
Dartaignion Miller is one of those boys. He attends Correctional Vocational Center on the Southside of Chicago and says he peer pressured by many of friends to have sex. “They are all doing it and it’s hard to when all your friends are doing something, you feel left out.” In the beginning he said he withstood the peer pressure but eventually caved and had sex at 15, he now regrets it. According to a survey black high school students are more likely to have intercourse compared to white students.
Healthy Child.org says teens are more likely to have sex if they enter puberty early, socialize with other teens who are having sex, place little value on education and have a poor relationship with their parents, particularly their father.
Jeremiah Northern a junior at Simeon a high school located on the Southside of Chicago has also been peer pressured to have sex. Northern ignores his friends who are peer pressuring him by either walking away or putting his ear buds in and focusing on homework. Northern also talks to his mom and let her know about the peer pressure he says the support he got from her was a lot of help. He often talks to his other teens and says, “do what I did and don’t have sex your still young focus on your education not sex.”
Peer Pressure and Sex