ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • AUGUST 15 - 21, 2013A12

Ask yourself these questions: > Do I feel good most of

the time?

> Do I have energy (or does your energy go up and down during the day)?

> Can I keep up with my friends?

If you answered “no” to one or more of these questions,

it might be time to look at the kinds of food you eat. Food choices are important because the foods you eat are what keep your body strong and moving.

Challenge: Keep a food diary for one week. In a notebook, write down every single thing you

eat and drink for seven days. At the end of

the week, take a look at your diary. How many fruits and vegetables are

in there? How many glasses of

water? How much soda? Candy? As the Healthy Kids series continues, you’ll

learn some very practical, easy changes you can make to your diet that will put you on the road to feeling happier and healthier!

Learning Standards: HPE 2, NH1

Get Moving!

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Think Before You Eat!

Exercise

In addition to eating healthy, one of the best ways to be a Healthy Kid is to add daily exercise to your new lifestyle. Before you start—remember to:

> Check with your family doctor. Find out the right kinds of exercise for you.

> Start slowly. Let your body adjust before you gradually

increase time, distance, speed, etc.

> Always stay safe. Exercise in areas that are well-lit and filled with others who are exercising.

> Warm up and cool down. To get the most benefit out of exercise, spend at

least a few minutes stretching, walking and

bending before and after

you exercise.

Want to Learn How to Challenge Yourself? Set an exercise goal for your first week. On a piece of lined paper write the words “In one week I will be…” and

finish the sentence. It could be “I will be walking the neighborhood with my mom

at least four nights a week.” After you have completed your weekly goal, go ahead and write out a monthly goal and an exercise goal for the end of the school year. Challenge yourself to increase your exercise level over the next several months.

Learning Standards: HPE2, NH6

Health includes more than just nutrition and exercise. Smart choices, safety and happiness all affect our health. Every single day is filled with opportunities to make smart choices. Look in the newspaper

for an example of someone who made a smart choice. Summarize the article

and explain why you think it was the right thing to do.

Learning Standards: HPE2, NH2, NH5, CA3

Be On the Lookout...

Nutrition

Healthy KidsWeekly Newspaper in Education Program

Healthy KidsNEWSPAPER INEDUCATIONPlanting the Seeds for Success!

Where do you work? I currently work at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital in St. Charles County, MO.

Where did you go to school? I graduated from Parkway West High School, earned an associate degree in nursing at St. Louis Community College and

a bachelor of science in nursing from University of Missouri – St. Louis. I recently completed a master of science in nursing in health systems management from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. I have recently been accepted into the University of Virginia’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice program. All nurses go to school for at least 2-4 years.

What does a registered nurse do? Registered nurses work closely with doctors to provide patient care. A nurse can

give medications, do medical tests and provide care to someone who is sick or injured.

Nurses also help comfort family members of their patients.

Why did you choose a career in nursing? ? I grew up in a family

of health care workers. My aunt is a nurse and I knew from the time I was in grade school that

I wanted a job where I could help others feel better.

What is your favorite part about being a Registered Nurse? I leave for work every day knowing that I will make a difference in the life of someone who needs my help.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3

Kenya Haney, MSN, RN

PRESENt:

Healthcare Careers

And... Rewards!Fitness Challenge: Go to http://www.stlamerican.com/nie and download our Weekly Fitness Challenge Journal page. Keep track of your positive daily health choices and earn rewards!

Welcome to the new Healthy Kids series! This program will run each week throughout the school year.

Comedian called home to ‘headline in heaven,’ says brother

By Sandra JordanOf The St. Louis American

Family and friends of comedian Rahn Ramey gathered at the St. Louis Funny Bone in Westport on Sunday afternoon to celebrate his life. St. Louis native Francis Ronald “Rahn” Ramey passed away on June 9 in New Orleans at age 56 from colon cancer.

He was a product of St. Louis Public Schools, a Roosevelt High graduate who earned his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He soon left the legal field to pursue what he loved: making other people laugh.

Ramey delighted his fans laugh in comedy clubs, casinos and in concert venues all over the country. Ramey wrote

comic routines for actors and made numerous television appearances, including on HBO Comedy Relief, Evening at the Improv, the Comedy Club Network and BET Comic View.

Mistresses of ceremony were St. Louis radio personalities Sheila Reed and Robin Boyce.

“Rahn didn’t speak to the hearts of ordinary people,” Boyce said. “Exceptional people are the kinds of people that he encouraged, that he was a great example for, that he made laugh. He did that for me and for many of you here tonight.”

His oldest brother Charles Ramey Sr., daughter Leslie Ramey and several other family members, friends and stand-up comedians who worked with Ramey shared their gratitude, thoughts and memories.

“He was supportive and considerate,” said Freddie DeMarco, owner of a comedy club in Columbia, Mo. “He always wanted to have fun and put on a show.”

Everyone attested to his impeccable dress, talkative nature and quick wit.

“As a comedian, no one was better than him,” said comedian Joe Marlotti. “He would get on stage, he would bring the crowd to their knees – and he did it at his will and he did it every time he got on stage.”

“He was the headliner here, but God called him home to be a bigger headliner,” his brother Charles Ramey Sr. said.

Charles Sr. then imagined what the local comedy bill in heaven might look like.

“Up there, if you’re from St. Louis, you will know, the MC is Dr. Jockenstein, ‘operating on your mind,’” Ramey said.

“And then the first act is Zack and Mack, and coming behind Zack and Mack is my friend, everybody knows him, Rodney Winfield. But God needed a headliner, and when he needed a headliner, he called the best – so he called Rahn.”

Family, friends celebrate Rahn Ramey

Daughter Leslie Ramey, along with other family and friends of comedian Rahn Ramey, gathered at the Funny Bone in Westport Plaza on Sunday to pay tribute to his life and legacy. The St. Louis-born entertainer who made people laugh throughout the U.S. died June 9 in New Orleans of colon cancer. Photo by Wiley Price

Trayvon in SkittlesYouth attending a summer camp hosted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis made a portrait of Trayvon Martin out of Skittles. The youth also performed a musical drama called Justice: A Tribute to Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida by George Zimmerman, who claimed to fear for his life though Martin was carrying nothing more deadly than Skittles and iced tea.

By Jessica MartinWashington University

Missouri has been held out as a model for juvenile corrections programs, but the court system that puts young people into these programs is in crisis, finds a recent report by the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC). “Many young people in Missouri wind up having to defend themselves in our juvenile courts – and sometimes from behind bars,” says Mae C. Quinn, JD, professor of law and co-director of the Civil Justice Clinic at Washington University in St. Louis.

“These young people deserve counsel to assist them throughout the juvenile court

process, but due to inadequate funding and the problematic – potentially unconstitutional – structure of Missouri’s juvenile court system, this is not happening.”

“In fact, our juvenile court system often fails to account for modern due process norms,” she said.

The NJDC report found that: • Youth are systemically

discouraged from accessing, and denied, counsel throughout the state;

• Their basic rights are not adequately protected and often ignored; and

• The structure of Missouri’s juvenile court system, by its very nature, presents constitutional

issues, inherent conflicts and a great deal of confusion about official stakeholder roles.

Students in Washington University School of Law’s Civil Justice Clinic are representing juveniles in Missouri. Their work is highlighted in the NJDC as best practices on behalf of young people charged with crimes.

“Our students represent children in Missouri’s courts to raise the bar, to say that business as usual is not good enough,” says Quinn. “We are pairing quality juvenile representation with system reform.”

To read the full NJDC report visit: www.njdc.info/missouri.php.

Report: MO’s juvenile justice system in crisis