The Skinny on Slim4Life

OPINION New Shadowing Program Steps into the Light

Improvements to the visit day schedule give a better sense of what life at Sion is like.

BY NATALIE WILLIAMS REPORTER

The new shadowing program implemented this year provides potential students with a deeper understanding of the Sion experience. Unlike previous years when shadows would simply follow their host from class to class, they are now given a more personal experience that allows them to learn more about the school. The program is already well received, and according to the poll taken by the shadows, they are on average 20 percent more likely to apply after shadowing than they were before.

It is clear that the new program is very effective and beneficial.

As shadows enter the school, they are not only greeted with the welcoming smiles of students and faculty, they are also given iPads to keep up with the electronic atmosphere of the classroom. The iPads help contribute to the school’s new hightech image and give shadows an inside look at how technology is used in the classroom.

The shadows gather after fifth hour and are greeted with snacks, music and a t-shirt while they meet with a panel of Student Ambassadors and watch a hype video prepared for them. After the video they can ask any questions they have and learn more about academics, sports programs, the fine arts department, and other aspects that interest them.

The purpose of shadowing has always been to let potential students spend a day learning about the school and decide if it’s the place for them.

This new program takes this to a whole new level. Those who prefer the old shadowing program feel that the shadows being removed from the classroom doesn’t give an accurate representation of daily life. However, the shadows now have both the basic experience of a real classroom setting with the added opportunity to learn everything they’ve been wondering about. This program fully represents

Sion’s ability to go above and beyond through the personal attention given to every student.

8LE JOURNAL October 2015

The Skinny on Slim4Life

Advertisement invites children as young as 10 to join the weight loss program along with parents.

BY CHLOE BARRETT A&E EDITOR

“Kids join free with parent enrollment!” Want to appeal to a parent? Include their child. Promotional offers involving free membership to children when their parents join are common at gyms, and many restaurants offer a night of free kids’ meals when parents order their own meals. But that ad was for Slim4Life, a weight loss program with locations in Missouri, Kansas and Texas. Slim4Life’s advertisement, meant to entice, instead raises a question: How young is too young to diet? Kids, under most circumstances, should not be dieting. Childhood dieting causes vitamin and nutritional deficiencies, leading to physical problems such as stunted growth and delayed puberty. Because children are growing, they should not diet based on cutting calories and should instead eat a balanced diet to be sure they are getting all the necessary nutrients, according to kidshealth.org. Slim4life is not alone in appealing to children. So does Weight Watchers, but kids under 16 require a doctor’s referral to join. Jenny Craig has an age minimum of 13 and

(Illustration by Siren student senior Emily Carter)

Nutrisystem has a minimum of 18. Slim4Life’s minimum age is especially young at 10 years old.

According to a study published by the International Journal of Eating Disorders, dieting appeals to young girls in order to improve their self worth. Their mothers are strong influences in this, as children whose mothers diet are more likely to diet themselves. If a mother joins a weight loss program that encourages her child to join, children will see this and will perceive it negatively.

These negative perceptions make it more likely for children to diet, leading to issues such as depression, body image issues, eating disorders and issues with weight control and unhealthy dieting, according to Huffington Post.

In order to prevent unhealthy and dangerous eating habits, children need to learn healthy eating habits that they can then carry with them into adulthood. Healthy eating habits are necessary in maintaining a healthy weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kids who need to lose weight should do so under a doctor’s direction and should see a dietitian to ensure that they are receiving all the necessary nutrition they need in order to grow while still cutting calories.

Slim4life’s marketing tool is not enticing; it is endangering. Its age minimum is much too young and needs to be raised to 16 or 18 like other weight loss programs in order encourage healthy eating habits in children.