HOPE PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION

HEALTHY HOPE JUNE 2013 VOLUME 2, NUMBER 4

Doctors and nurses aren’t the

only people who help others when

they’re sick or need health advice.

Pharmacists also serve an im-

portant role. The Healthy Hope

recently interviewed pharmacy

student John Riehl about what

pharmacists do to keep people

healthy.

He said the pharmacist’s job is

to give people the right medicine

for the right symptoms. The phar-

macist is the person who fills that

order and makes sure you get the

correct medicine and the correct

amount.

Mr. Riehl said pharmacists

work in many venues such as

drugstores, hospitals, and phar-

maceutical companies, where they

can discover and make medicines.

Growing up, Mr. Riehl had

always been around pharmacists.

His father is a pharmacist and he

was inspired by him. Biology is

his favorite subject and that is

important background for becom-

ing a pharmacists. He used to go

with his father to work and learn

more about the “family business.”

He now is a pharmacy student at

Thomas Jefferson University.

Mr. Riehl said people should

check the expiration dates of their

medicines. Like food, medicine

can change after the expiration

date. Old medicine will not have

Pharmacists

can help when

you are sick

The three Girls Inc. leaders —

Ms. Lacey Gilbert, Ms. Ashley

Wingate, and Ms. Neremiah Jen-

kins — said the program has its

roots during the Industrial Revo-

lution. Older women felt it was

important to mentor younger

women. They wanted girls to grow

up to be respectful, responsible,

Girls Inc. came to Hope Part-

nership this year to teach stu-

dents ways to make healthy

choices for their body and mind.

As its name indicates, the pro-

gram focuses on girls, helping

them to become strong, smart,

and bold. These characteristics

promote healthy self-images in a

world filled with messages such as

looking perfect.

Girl Power comes to Hope

Illustration by Isaiah Outlaw

(Please see Program on Page 2)

Fifth and sixth graders spent a few days learning about nature at the College

Settlement Camp. Read a first-person account of the trip on Page 3.

Boys learn to become men You have probably heard

someone tell you, “Be a leader!”

The Healthy Hope recently

learned what being a leader

means in an interview with Rising

Sons president and founder Mr.

Alex Peay and his colleague, Mr.

Patrick Edouard.

Good leaders should learn

how to be a good follower, they

said. They should listen to advice

and be positive role models.

“A leader with no followers is

merely taking a walk,” said Mr.

Alex. Some qualities that a leader

should have include humility, con-

fidence, and understanding.

Rising Sons is a group which

provides youths with the tools to

be leaders. The group teaches

young males in the Philadelphia

area, including Hope, about mak-

ing good decisions.

(Please see Pharmacy on Page 3) (Please see Learning on Page 3)

PAGE 2 JUNE 2013 HEALTHY HOPE

and successful. They also wanted girls to become role

models.

More than 1,000 girls between 6 and 18 belong to

Girls Inc. of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.

There are groups around the United States and even

a few in Canada.

“We should come together in a sisterhood and em-

power each other,” said Ms. Lacey.

Girls Inc. provides girls at Hope Partnership a

safe place to share problems without being judged,

according to Ms. Lacey.

Dealing with stress is a major topic that Girls Inc.

staff has discussed this year at Hope. When she is

stressed, Ms. Ashley said she talks to someone she

trusts. Ms. Lacey said reading quotes or inspiring

books can help her relieve stress.

The leaders also taught students how to create

budgets and how to be good citizens. For instance,

they encouraged students to recycle and to cheer for

others.

Unhealthy eating habits are among the biggest

health concerns for girls and families, say the Girls

Inc. leaders. They also see too many pregnant girls.

Pharmacy student offers medicine tips

Program teaches girls

about respect, success

Healthy Hope

A publication of Hope Partnership for Education, an independent

middle school and adult education center serving eastern North

Philadelphia. Student staff members include Nakiyah Andrews,

Jiair Ballard-West, Tracey Benjamin, Keviah Britt, Tamir Brooks,

Mark Carter, Tamiara Childs, Kione Gary, Zayanna Gunter, Alyse

Nichols, Laylani Nixon, Isaiah Outlaw, Tania Parker, and Sidaro

Taylor. Mrs. Huntington is Healthy Hope's faculty advisor.

A Healthy NewsWorks® project

Healthy NewsWorks is a member of New Beginnings Nonprofit

Incubator at Resources for Human Development in Philadelphia.

Healthy NewsWorks receives funding from individuals, groups,

and foundations including the Claneil Foundation, First Hospital

Foundation, and the Independence Blue Cross Foundation.

Special thanks to the American Medical Foundation Association

for support for HNW's Understanding Medicine project.

* * *

This document is protected by applicable law. All rights reserved.

“My only goal is to make sure everyone is

healthy,” he said." My job can be stressful but I love

that I get to help people stay healthy every day."

—Story by Healthy Hope staff

—Illustration by Tracey Benjamin

the proper effect on a person’s body. If you have ex-

pired medicine in your cabinet it should be thrown

away, he said.

It’s also important to know that children and

adults take different dos-

ages of medicine because

their bodies are at different

stages of development, said

Mr. Riehl. A 55-year-old

man probably will need a

larger dose of medicine than

a 12-year-old girl.

“The only medicine you

should take is the medicine

with your name on it,” Mr.

Riehl said.

Some patients abuse medicine by taking more

medicine than they should and become addicted, he

said. He said it is sad when he learns that other pa-

tients might not even take the medicine.

(Continued from Page 1)

Girls can help solve these problems by being in-

formed and becoming strong leaders for their commu-

nity, according to Ms. Lacey.

Ms. Ashley described a leader as someone who

takes initiative and is also a good listener. “We try to

inspire you girls to grow and be strong and successful

women who are leaders and know what they stand

for.”

—By Alyse Nichols, Tania Parker, Tamiara

Childs, Laylani Nixon, Tracey Benjamin,

Zayanna Gunter, and Nakiyah Andrews

Illustration by Tamiara Childs

(Continued from Page 1)

PAGE 3 JUNE 2013 HEALTHY HOPE

Rising Sons meets with the Hope fifth and sixth

grade boys once a week for an hour. The group also

meets with the seventh and eighth grade boys once a

week.

During these meetings the boys talk about how

to deal with anger, how to avoid trouble on the

streets, and how to focus on the positive and not the

negative. For example, Mr. Alex says it is not worth it

to argue with your teacher. Instead of arguing with

your teacher about doing your work, you should use

that energy to actually do your work.

Hope Principal Mr. Miller said that he learned

about Rising Sons from Miss Holiday, Hope’s instruc-

tional support/extended day coordinator. He wanted a

program that would help the Hope boys become bet-

ter leaders.

“I went on the Rising Sons website and I found

some interesting things about them and what they

do, so I interviewed a couple of the leaders,” he said.

“We want to empower you so you can empower

your community,” said Mr. Alex. Mr. Pat said they

are trying to help students see the opportunities and

not to be influenced by the bad.

Spending time in nature reduces stress

Learning to make

healthy decisions

The chefs and camp counselors made sure we

had nutritious food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

to give us fuel for all the activities. We learned how

to use good table manners and have nice conversa-

tions instead of eating like animals.

When we went on field expeditions, we discovered

that animal waste is called scat. We found owl pellets

that were new and we saw a white owl sitting on a

tree before we went to bed. At the campfire we saw

the funniest skits. Sixth grader Alyse Nicols is a

great actress.

Learning about the effects of contaminated water

made us sad because we learned pollution harms not

just humans, but also animals and plants.

Being in nature made me feel less stressed. I

loved the way all the students cooperated during the

group challenges. Everyone was helpful and respect-

ful. I hope next year’s students who go to the outdoor

camp will get to learn as much as possible about their

health and nature. —By Isaiah Outlaw

In early April, the fifth and sixth grade classes

experienced education in an outdoor classroom. We

went camping!

We learned two valuable lessons. Teamwork can

help you get through many challenges in life. Track-

ing skills can help you if you ever get lost in the mid-

dle of nowhere.

We also learned to identify

different trees and how to

feed and take care of farm

animals such as goats and

donkeys. After a chicken ap-

peared to threaten a student, we found out that the

birds are harmless and would only peck to protect

themselves.

The sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Huntington,

cheered us on in the many team-building activities

we did. The activities included moving a block across

the yard without using our hands.

“You need to learn to pick and choose your bat-

tles,” said Mr. Alex.

The program focuses on young males because

Rising Sons believes that boys need a place to feel

safe to discuss issues, according to Mr. Alex. The pro-

gram also encourages students to stay in school.

Rising Sons know that peer pressure to join

gangs is serious so they talk one-on-one with boys to

make them think about healthier choices.

Rising Sons also has after-school programs.

—By Tamir Brooks, Kione Gary,

Jiair Ballard-West, and Sidaro Taylor

(Continued from Page 1)

Illustration by Tamir Brooks

Reporter's

notebook

PAGE 4 JUNE 2013 HEALTHY HOPE

I went to the WHYY-FM stu-

dios in downtown Philadelphia to

see a documentary film in early

March.

The film, "The Bully Effect,"

told the stories about three young

people who were being bullied.

One story affected me the

most. It was about a girl who was

bullied every day and no one did

anything to stop it. She felt she

had no other way to deal with the

problem and took matters into her

own hands.

She brought a gun on the bus

to protect herself since that was

where she got bullied. “I was not

trying to shoot anyone,” she said.

“All I was trying to do was scare

them so they can stop bullying

me.’’

When she took out the gun

she started to argue with a girl

who had bullied her in the past.

The girl with the gun ended up

going to jail.

Ms. Hooks, the administrative

assistant at Hope Partnership for

Education, took me to the screen-

ing. She thought I would make a

Reporter learns vital lesson about bones

Film review

Bullying hurts

everybody

in community

around my broken finger. I got to choose the color

cloth and picked white so people could draw on

it. When the cloth dried up, it looked like a cement

wrap. This wrap helps keep your bones in place so

they can heal.

This experience made me realize how important

it is to be careful with your bones. You may end up

unable to write for almost a month and you will need

to rely on other people for help. The cast is now off,

but the doctor told me it would still take a while for

my finger to get back to normal. —By Mark Carter

In April, I broke a finger while playing basket-

ball. For almost a month I wore a cast and it changed

the way I did things such as eating and writing.

Soon after I broke my finger, the area turned

black and blue. My dad took me to see a doctor at a

hospital near my home and they X-rayed it.

Initially, they put my finger in a splint. It is dif-

ferent from a cast because a splint covers half the

break and the cast covers the entire break. I wore the

splint for a few days and then the doctors put on the

cast. The doctors wet a type of cloth and wrapped it

good ambassador to talk to others

about bullying.

Another character in the film

was a boy who was bullied at

school. Unlike the girl, his mom

tried to help. The mom wanted

her son to be moved to another

bus so he wouldn’t get bullied, but

the principal did not allow that to

happen.

While I was watching this, I

felt bad for the boy because he

was a good student and tried to

keep to himself. The bullying he

received was from both girls and

boys on the bus. They would spit

Illustration by Nakiyah Andrews

on him, slap him, and call him

bad words.

Watching this film made me

realize that bullying affects people

more than we can see. It hurts not

only their feelings, but also their

mental and physical health. Bul-

lying is something that we can

ALL stop. Just because you’re not

getting bullied doesn’t mean you

can’t stop it. Being a bystander

and doing nothing makes you just

as bad as the bully. Be a bigger

person and stand up to bullying

for everyone’s health!

— By Nakiyah Andrews

PAGE 5 JUNE 2013 HEALTHY HOPE

It is vital for people to learn how to take medicine

safely so that it can help, not harm them.

We've researched this important topic on Kids-

Health.org and through our press conference with

John Riehl. We want to share some safety tips we've

learned with our community.

1) When you are sick, ask your doctor what type

of medicine you need. Always tell the doctor the

truth. The doctor wants to give you the best medicine

for your ailment.

2) You should

ask your doctor

some facts about

the medicine, including how to take the medicine and

how it will help you feel better. Tell your doctor if you

have any allergies or feel bad after taking a specific

medicine. This will help the doctor decide what medi-

cine will help you feel better.

3) Before you leave the pharmacy, make sure that

you have been given the correct medicine by checking

the name on the medicine. Look at the medicine to

make sure the bottle cap is not cracked or damaged.

If you have questions, talk with a pharmacist. He or

she is trained to give you advice about how to take

medicine safely.

4) When taking medicine, always ask a parent or

other trusted adult to help you. Make sure the medi-

cine label has your name on it. Read the directions

each time to make sure you are taking the medicine

correctly. Have a parent or guardian read the direc-

tions out loud so you can understand them better.

5) Some children might think medicine is candy

and take too much. Others may not want to take it

because they think it tastes nasty. People need to

take the correct amount of medicine.

6) If the medicine makes you feel sick or does not

work, go back to the doctor or health clinic to ask for

a different medication.

7) It is important to keep medicines in a safe

place. Keep them away from younger children so that

they do not accidentally take the medicine. Pets also

need to be kept away from medicine so that they don’t

accidentally eat the medicine and get sick.

8) Sharing medicine is not safe. Even if someone

else has the same illness you do it is not safe for them

to take your prescription medicine.

9) Finally, check to make sure that the medicine

isn’t out of date by looking at the expiration date on

the medicine bottle. Old medicine may not work or it

can make you very sick.

This is our final issue of the

Healthy Hope of the 2012-13

school year.

However, you can read more

of our work in a new book called

Leading Healthy Change In Our

Communities 2013, produced by

Healthy NewsWorks student jour-

nalists.

The book profiles 12 leaders

who are making the Philadelphia

area a healthier place to live.

Our sixth grade staff contrib-

uted two profiles to the book. We

interviewed Philadelphia Police

Commissioner Charles Ramsey

about his role in creating a safer

and more peaceful community.

We also interviewed Marcus

Allen, who recently became execu-

tive director of Big Brothers Big

Sisters Southeastern Pennsyl-

vania. He discussed how mentors

Editorial

Read our stories in a new book!

can make a big difference in chil-

dren's lives.

The book will be available in a

print version and online at

www.HealthyNewsWorks.org.

* * *

Thank you so much for your

support during the year. As jour-

nalists, we have strived to provide

the best newspaper for you—our

readers. Have a safe and healthy

summer.

Illustration by Tamaira Childs

Use medicines correctly and safely

JUNE 2013 HEALTHY HOPE PAGE 6

Test your knowledge Here is a chance to test the new things you have learned about health and fitness in the June 2013 edi-

tion of the Healthy Hope. Enter this contest developed by Zayanna Gunter by reading your copy of Healthy

Hope and then answering questions for your grade below. (Healthy Hope staff is not eligible.)

Directions:

1. Fill in your name, grade, and teacher’s name.

2. Answer the questions for your grade.

3. Cut out the coupon for YOUR grade.

4. Hand in the sheet to your homeroom teacher by June 7, 2013.

The staff of the Healthy Hope will have a drawing from among the correct entries. Two winners in each

grade will get a prize. Good luck!

Eighth grade

Your name:

_______________________________________

Your grade and teacher’s name:

________________________________________

Seventh grade

Your name:

________________________________________

Your grade and teacher’s name:

________________________________________

Fifth grade

Your name:

________________________________________

Your grade and teacher’s name:

________________________________________

1. According to the pharmacist, John Riehl, what

should you do with expired medicine?

___________________________________________

2. What is a person called who watches and does

nothing while someone else is bullied?

___________________________________________

1. What time of year did the fifth and sixth graders go

camping? (Please be specific)

_______________________________________________

2. In the editorial about medicine, what should a per-

son do before leaving the pharmacy with medicine?

_______________________________________________

1. What are three characteristics that Girls Inc. want

girls to have?

________________________________________________

2. What is one thing that boys talk about when they

meet with Rising Sons?

_______________________________________________

.