Getting fit has never been more popular at Crittenden County High School.
National trends and some public scrutiny suggest that secondary students are overweight, overly coddled and borderline lethargic, but there's a group of about 80 young men and women in Marion that defies those stereotypes.
Until last year, the high school offered a single one-hour course in advanced physical education. However, the class had become so popular that demand prompted school officials to add two more. Now, with three full classes, the testimonials from students are never ending.
Sophomore Torey Baker is among the dozens who are finding rewards that transcend normal education.
"I have already lost 15 pounds. I've gained muscle and it makes me feel really good about myself," said Baker, who explains that her blood pressure had been too high before she started getting into better physical condition in the physical education class.
"Now my blood pressure is a whole lot better," she said.
Denis Hodge teaches the three classes and students must understand his expectations before they sign up for the class.
"He works the fire out of them and they just keep coming back for more," said CCHS Principal Karen Nasseri. "He's developed a very good relationship with all of the students in his class."
Everyone at the school understands Hodge's demand for devotion and full-throttle intensity. It's no secret. A former U.S. Army Ranger, Hodge brings a drill sergeant’s approach to the classroom. From calisthenics and agility drills to the study of proper diet and pumping iron in the weight room, Hodge has created a regimen that demands discipline of mind, body and spirit.
"We've borrowed ideas from all over the place," Hodge said, explaining that the workouts take a little from athletic programs at Murray State and Western Kentucky University and from other programs aimed at health and fitness.
"We encourage proper nutrition to go along with the workouts," he said.
A poster on the wall shows students what's good and what's not when it comes to diet.
While some in the class are looking to drop a few pounds, others desire to add a little body mass.
Sophomore Layton Maxfield said she'd grown tired of classmates making fun of her for being "too skinny."
"I've gone from 107 to 114 pounds and it's all muscle," she said. "I love this class. I am really happy about the results."
While males outnumber females taking the course, it is becoming ever more popular among girls. Hodge says it's not just athletes who are registering for advanced P.E. Students include a cross section of the school and for some it's a way to improve behavior.
Chris Fernandez, a junior, admits that he was a disciplinary problem before he started coming to the class this year. He now goes to the gym second period and that helps him vent all of his penned up energy early in the day so he can be more focused in other classes.
"You can ask all of my teachers, it's helped my behavior," he said. "It keeps me out of trouble. My attitude is quite a bit better and my grades are improving because of that."
Nasseri said school officials are acutely aware of all the benefits students receive from taking the class; improved behavior and attentiveness are two of them.
The personal benefits of feeling healthier and looking better are hard to measure in academic terms, Hodge said. But he sees it on the students' faces. When their improved fitness starts adding up to better grades, well, that's just wonderful, he added. The principal thinks so, too.
"It's a wonderful program that gets results," she said.
Marcus George, a senior, is the designated posterboy for the advanced physical education premise. As an eighth grader, he was overweight and suffered from low self esteem.
A few short years later, which has included intense training and improved lifestyle, George has gone from a 215-pound chunky adolescent to a buff 165 pounds that even the most passive couch potato couldn’t help but notice. For George, the math was simple. More physical activity minus soft drinks and poor dietary habits equaled a firmer, harder body.
"There are social pressures," George says with a smile, suggesting that being fit is much better for a teenager’s psyche and it helps keep his social calendar full.
"You look better, feel better and being fit helps you socially. Your mental outlook is better and my grades have improved," he said.
Bingo name of the game in Marion
Somewhere between a B-13 and N-36, Rhonda Skinner decided that Monday night bingo could be a regular occurance.
“It’s our first time, but it won’t be our last time,” she said, gathered Monday with two friends inside a former hardware store.
With fat ink markers in hand, Skinner and her friends joined dozens of others hunched over a large sheet of nine printed bingo faces while numbers were announced from the call stand. As the balls magically float around inside a chamber, another ping pong ball with a letter and number pops into the caller’s hand.
“I-21,” he calls out, as the corresponding spot lights up on a huge board in the corner of the room. Suddenly, a distant “Bingo!” is yelled from another room.
This is bingo night at the Marion VFW. Held every Monday at the former Clark’s Building Supply property, it has been drawing about 40 people each week, said Joe Lanham, one of 77 members of the veterans organization. Cars lined North College Street as the action resumed this night.
“We’ve got lots of regulars,” Lanham said.
“I’ve been here every week, and all I’ve won is $9,” joked regular Deavon Davidson, as she turned to her left. “This is my bingo partner.”
“And I haven’t won a thing,” Dot Meredith said with a hearty laugh as she was introduced.
But it’s not the payouts that the bingo players come for. Many in attendance Monday night said it was for the comradery and entertainment. Three separate rooms connected through a closed-circuit audio and video of the call table allow smokers to enjoy a cigarette, snackers to enjoy the burgers, cakes or hot dogs on hand and casual players to gaze out the front window as the numbers are called.
A $10 packet gets a player 10 games, with nine bingo faces on each oversized sheet. A variety of games like traditional bingo, picnic table, kite and picture frame keep the action fresh. Raffles and door prizes add to the allure.
No one expects to get rich from the payouts, but players can easily go home with more money than they had to start. What doesn’t go to the players is retained by the VFW to fund a variety of charitable projects aimed at military veterans and the community.
After only four sessions, Lanham is hoping to draw more participants, increasing payouts and contributions.
Bingo runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m., every Monday.
Cozart injured in accident
A Marion man was seriously injured in an accident in southern Illinois about 8:41 a.m., Saturday.
Stephon J. Cozart, 38, was traveling on Job Corps Road in Hardin County, Ill., when his vehicle left the roadway and hit a tree. Cozart was extricated from the vehicle by the Rosiclaire Fire Department and taken to Hardin County Hospital. He was later flown to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville.
Friends and family say Cozart, a 1988 graduate of Crittenden County High School, suffered back and spinal injuries. He underwent surgery Tuesday, but it was not clear whether he would suffer any long-term paralysis due to his injuries.
Meantime in Kentucky, hazardous road conditions led to multiple vehicle collisions in Lyon County, including one that sent Elizabeth Williams of Marion to Caldwell County Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Apparently, early morning ice was to blame for Williams' wreck on Ky. 295 near Eddyville. Kentucky State Police reported her vehicle struck a legally parked vehicle owned by Frank Williams of Eddyville. The woman's vehicle came to final rest after striking a tree located along the side of the roadway.
