Tonganoxie Middle and Elementary school staff members have started wellness programs for healthier lifestyles. Front row, from left, are Kyla Sandhoefner, TMS principal Jill Dickerson and Shelly Hunter. Back row, from left, are Mary Welsh, Heather DeMaranville and LeAnn Bond.

Tonganoxie Middle School teachers have a cheering section at lunchtime most school days.

When students see staffers walking as part of a fitness regime, they root for them. And technology teacher Shelly Hunter says students will let her know whether she’s walking as far as she did the day before.

The exercise routine is part of a wellness program Hunter and other TMS staffers established last fall. In total, 35 people have lost 448 pounds in 10 weeks.

“We started it Dec. 1, which was not appealing to a lot of people, because you had to behave in December,” Hunter said, laughing.

The program actually is a contest among the staff. Hunter said members, who pay a $20 “registration fee,” form teams.

Points are given for healthy eating decisions, taking multivitamins, exercise and making positive comments about others, as well as laughing out loud. Points are taken away for eating junk food, having drinks containing sugars and consuming more than two “grown-up drinks” a week. Eating after 8 p.m. also counts against participants.

TMS Principal Jill Dickerson said she’s made personal decisions with her team in mind. “You see a cupcake at a meeting and you think, ‘Oh, I can’t let my team down,'” Dickerson said. “I’ll have a water, thank you.”

Spreading wellness

The program has caught on at Tonganoxie Elementary School as well, where teacher Kyla Sandhoefner and paraprofessional Mary Welsh lead the group.

Of the 80 staff members at the school, 37 are participating, and after starting just a few weeks ago, the group has lost 150 pounds, which Welsh described as “an excellent start.”

“We’ve got people walking after school,” she said. “We’ve got people following the program. I think it’s been a positive thing.”

Hunter pointed out that weight loss and exercise have been great components, but said the biggest benefit has been “atmospheric wellness” at the middle school.

Through the program, she’s gotten to know staff members better. “I’ve known some of these teachers for years and didn’t really know them,” Hunter said.

The wellness groups are planning a 5K run to benefit Jake Ostermeyer, a Tonganoxie High School student who will be undergoing a kidney transplant. Some group members also plan to participate in the Walk Kansas event, a fitness program coordinated through K-State Research and Extension.

A promise to mom

In April 2008, Hunter’s mother received a diagnosis of brain cancer. Before her mother’s death a few weeks later, Hunter made a pact with her that she would take better care of herself.

The next month, just after Mother’s Day, Hunter started her program. She has lost about 75 pounds toward her goal of about 100 pounds in a year.

“I’m not tired; I’m energetic,” Hunter said. “Food is fuel for me now. I eat all the time, but I eat the right things.”

Each Tuesday, she and other participants check out how their teams did the week before.

“There are no rules against sabotage, but I don’t think anyone of us will go down that road because it will come back sevenfold,” she said, laughing.