FITNESS AND FUN LUNCHTIME PIZZA? NOPE! KIDS WANT TO WORK OUT!

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

GRANADA HILLS - When the lunch bell rings at Patrick Henry Middle School, students don't think sloppy joes, pizza and a 16-ounce Coke.

They think exercise.

The Granada Hills science-technology magnet not only boasts what may be the nation's first schoolyard rock-climbing wall, zip line and high-wire adventure course, it also contains the first professional - and public - gym.

``In two weeks, I've already lost 15 pounds,'' shouted John Paul Morris, 15, of Granada Hills, over the din of 60 students sweating their lunch period away in a roomful of high-end exercise equipment - including six thumping, high-energy Dual Device Revolution aerobic dance machines installed last month.

``I come here every day, every day,'' added Lamar Valladares, 11, of North Hills, flexing biceps on a weight machine. ``Makes me a little stronger, helps me run faster.

``It can make me Superman - but Spider-Man would be better.''

For Patrick Henry administrators, that's the point.

The innovative exercise regime reaches beyond the jocks to build self-confidence, instill teamwork, add zest to classroom study and control weight among 1,400 Patrick Henry students.

For parents and community members, it means after-school access to 50 professional-quality treadmills, stationary bicycles, Stairmasters and a computerized fitness-assessment center - for $5 a month, a tax-deductible gift to the Los Angeles Unified School District.

And for Los Angeles, it means a new generation of Beautiful People bent on winning the war against junk food.

``We focus on healthy lifestyles, on getting kids healthy,'' said Chad Fenwick, head coach at Patrick Henry. ``We're expanding our programs to include the kids who didn't grow up playing sports.''

Fenwick, a lanky coach with a Fuller Brush mustache, is the man behind the fitness force. He renounces sugar. He avoids sodas. He shuns all junk food.

During parent-teacher conferences last week, the school passed out Power Bars, trail mix and water instead of the standard coffee-and-cookies fare. A recent walkathon raised $8,000 for the school. The campus's newest goal: a $1 million swimming pool.

Fenwick encourages all students to master his Outward Bound-like adventure course - with its six rock-climbing walls, 30-foot-high log-balancing act and hundred-foot zip line.

``Kids should never set limits on themselves,'' he said. ``We want them to go to college, to do anything they want to do.''

The Patrick Henry Fitness Center was added seven weeks ago. Made possible by a $211,000 Proposition K park bond grant from Los Angeles for Kids, the center is open to adults from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

With additional adult memberships, school officials plan to expand it to 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., at night until 10 and on weekends.

``It's incredible,'' said Sheryl Scarborough, president of the Patrick Henry Parent Action Team. ``Ten have already signed up, myself included.

``It's cheaper than a health club.''

Don Bethe, a professor of kinesiology and physical education at California State University, Northridge, hailed Fenwick's program as the first of its kind.

``He's definitely on the cutting edge of great things for our profession, a model for other schools,'' he said. ``It's exciting: He's got 'em coming in before school.''

The Los Angeles County Health Department praised the program as a boon to reducing obesity. Studies show that more than 20 percent of Los Angeles schoolchildren are overweight, and the number is growing.

But Dr. Paul Simon, the department's director of the health assessment and epidemiology, cautioned against the idea that gyms are the answer.

``You don't need fancy equipment to have fit kids,'' he said. ``All you need is a scuffed-up soccer ball and a field.''

For kids banging on the door for their 12:27 p.m. routine with the new DDR machines, fleet of foot means points on the scoreboard.

Amanda Srisawang, 12, a self-proclaimed ``dance queen,'' was nodding off in class, according to her teachers, until she encountered DDR at lunch.

``I'm all happy,'' she said. ``I have more fun to my life. Before, it was boring.''

Anthony Dawkins, 11, of Granada Hills, who described himself as a ``dance master,'' eats lunch on the fly so he can hit the fitness center.

``Now, I have all these extra quarters,'' he said, referring to the $1 a throw he'd have to pay for DDR at his local video arcade.

A brief power outage Monday didn't deter students from their workout.

``I'm not letting go of this thing,'' said Salvadore Ramos, 14, of Highland Park, riding an elliptical exerciser at the end of the lunch period. ``No lights, we keep going.''

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Eighth-grader George Reyes, above, works out on one of Patrick Henry Middle School's weight machines while, right, a helmeted Nicole Houston, a sixth-grader, rides the zip line.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer