Plattsburgh High School striving for fitness

By Caitlin Fitzpatrick
Plattsburgh High School has been improving the general fitness of their students and staff ever since the physical education department opened its fitness center in 2008.
The center offers students and staff an outlet to develop their fitness goals, while also offering a comfortable and fun environment.
According to Plattsburgh City School District web site, students currently have several different options for exercise while at the center, including walking on the track. The school also offers exercise alternatives such as Dance Dance Revolution for students who do not favor traditional workouts, though individualized fitness programs are still the most popular form of using the center.
“Most of what we do is individualized. We design a program for them,” Lori Latremore, a certified teacher at the fitness center, says.
The center has definitely had a positive impact on students and staff at the school.
Several students have gained confidence by using the facilities and improving their fitness, Mike Bordeau, another certified teacher at the fitness center, says. He also says that by using the center students can prepare for life after high school by learning to make healthy choices.
“It’s another opportunity for students to help learn lifelong fitness,” Latremore adds.

The center also has made it a priority to make fitness an importance in the life of the staff at Plattsburgh High School. In a program called “Commit to be Fit,” staff and faculty meet four times a week to improve fitness and health by using the center.
“A lot of our faculty and staff has made it part of their everyday routine” Bordeau says.
The center provides a good alternative for staff that want to remain fit but don’t have the time or the money for a private gym.
“It’s easily accessible and free and we have some really good equipment,” Latremore says.
The environment between the staff and the students in the center is one that is comfortable and positive as well.
“We have a good environment between faculty and students,” Bordeau says.
The fitness center is open for students and faculty on a daily basis, after school until 4:30. The certified teachers themselves even use the center for their personal fitness routine.
“We both use it,” Latremore says.
“About 40 to 50 percent of people who work here are involved in using the center,” Bordeau adds.
New York state is required to provide kindergarten through grade 12 physical education to students. Although physical education is not required daily, it is a requirement for students in order to graduate.
Plattsburgh High School offers a traditional physical education program to students as well as outside opportunities such as the center and team sports.
In past years the high school had offered primarily team sports as the only opportunity for fitness outside of physical education, but since opening the center more students have been able to participate in exercise programs.
“Not everyone can do that,” Latremore says referring to team sports. “This offers more opportunities to be active.”
Jason Lehmbeck, president of the New York Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, says there is mounting evidence and research that supports physical education and fitness benefits.
“Students that are physically fit achieve more in the classroom and in general have better energy and happier lives than those who are not fit,” he says.
Melissa Olster, a personal trainer at the Plattsburgh State University Fitness Center, also says that fitness is an important part of life and helps increase ones overall health in the long-run.
Lehmbeck says specific benefits for young adults and children from fitness also include less illness and better self-confidence.
“Bottom line, we feel very passionate that what we do has an opportunity to impact how we feel everyday of our lives,” Lehmbeck says. “We are committed to improving the quality of life for all kids, not just athletes and we are always seeking better ways of doing that.”