News from the Armory

Do you love to dance? Do you want to get into shape while doing something you love? Are you ready to dance yourself into shape? If you answered yes to any of these questions then ZUMBA is for you!

The Harlem Children's Zone Healthy Living Initiative, in partnership with the New York Road Runners Foundation, is pleased to announce that they will be offering adult Zumba classes at the HCZ 369th Harlem Armory. Zumba classes will workout your muscles and burn calories with fun, easy to follow, Latin-inspired dance movements.

Classes will be held every Wednesday starting June 1st and ending on August 24th.
For the month of June classes will be from 7:30pm – 8:30pm. For July and August, classes will be from 6:00pm-7:00pm. All classes will be held at the HCZ 369th Harlem Armory, 40 West 143rd Street between Lenox Avenue And Fifth Avenue.

If you have any questions, please call Shaka Kinard at 212-281-5431 or e-mail hli@hcz.org.

ACA Aids Walk 5.15.11

The HCZ A Cut Above Students geared up for their participation in the 2011 Aids Walk on May 15th. The students committed to participate as they focus on Community Service. The morning brought a pouring rain and yet they were dedicated to walk for the cause!!!! Students walked through the doors at 8am with ponchos, hats and ipods ready to get moving. After breakfast the rain begin to slow down a bit which was great. The staff and students kept up the team momentum with cheers and chants as transition began. There were 33 middle school students and 8 staff representing the HCZ A Cut Above program. The rain was not a barrior...way to go ACA!!!!

Harlem Gems Pre-school Garden Takes Off

Several Pre-school teachers over at Uptown Harlem Gems sites are showing off their green thumbs by creating their very own mini herb and vegetable garden! The container garden is housed in the sunny entryway and is presently growing some lovely basil, mint, lettuce, tomatoes and several other plants that the teachers plan to use eventually in some cooking demonstrations with the students. What a great idea and a great reminder that you don't need a lot of space to grow some really fun and productive plants! Way to go Mr. C and Ms. Swearing!

P.S. Do you have a garden in your classroom or at your site? If so, be sure to let us know so we can share your story with the rest of the HCZ community.

Asthma Education

With higher childhood asthma rates in Harlem than in any other neighborhood in NYC, the Health Promotion Learning Lab is taking preventative measures by leading workshops on how to manage and control asthma. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New York ranks number three in the list of most challenging metropolitan areas to live in with asthma because of the abundance of asthma triggers. An asthma trigger is a thing or condition that can cause inflammation in the airways. How they affect people with asthma varies from person to person but can include cigarette smoke, air pollution, dust mites, cockroaches, and strong odors. It is important to keep your home, workplace, and school free of these triggers.

For the past two weeks the Health Promotion Learning Lab (HPLL) has been in UPK classrooms to teach young students about how their lungs work and what it means to have asthma. With the hands-on exploration of a lung and diaphragm model even the youngest students are able to visualize and internalize how lungs fill and deflate with every breath they take. By listening to their own breath sounds with stethoscopes, talking about asthma triggers, and stressing that exercise is the simplest and most effective way to care for lungs, students gain a tangible understanding of asthma and how to decrease the negative consequences related to asthma. The HPLL stresses that just as bodies need nutritious food to be healthy, lungs need exercise to be healthy. It is important for people with asthma to understand their own asthma symptoms and find an individual exercise plan that takes into account their own body needs. Asthma can be controlled and should not hold anyone back from taking part in the activities they enjoy!

Parent Cooking Class Spring Sign-Up

Calling all parents! We are currently doing sign-ups for our next Parent Cooking Class. The Free 10 Week Class is offered to all Promise Academy Parents and starts April 27th. Classes are held every Wednesday night from 6-8pm for 10 weeks. Executive Chef Andrew Benson will walk you through cooking basics covering everything from:

1. Food Safety
2. Knife Skills
3. Simple Classic Kitchen Techniques, including healthy cooking techniques like how to:
1. Saute
2. Roast
3. Blanche
4. Grill
4. Basics of preparing Healthy Foods, including:
1. Whole Grains
2. Lean Meats
3. Fruits and Vegetables
4. Beans & Legumes
5. Fast, easy recipes for fresh family meals

Learn how to take your weeknight routine to the next level and improve your family's mealtime habits...plus have fun and gain skills to show off to your friends and family!

To sign up or ask questions please email Zoila Del-Villar 

Photo used under Creative Commons via Flickr.com user ReneS

Help Us Get our Garden Going!

Every year as winter thaws out into spring we get giddy thinking about returning to our work in the garden. We've ordered the seeds and are gearing up to start planting once the risk of frost has passed. Everyone who's a part of HCZ is invited to join in the fun of getting the garden ready to go! In fact, all next week, April 18th-22nd, we are hosting Community Garden Work Days from 1-4pm in the 5th Floor Terrace Garden. We'll be outside, unless there is rain, and you can come and help us:

• Test the soil PH
• Feed the soil
• Clean up from the long winter!
• Start our compost heap
• Turn and till the soil to prepare it for new seeds and seedlings
• Weed out any stubborn plants that have found their way into the planters

It's going to be a great week of garden prep and we hope to see you there. If you have any questions or want to schedule a specific time to come with your class or group, please email our gardener, Miss Mia, at mlittlejohn@hcz.org. See you in the garden!