David Mickola, health teacher at De La Salle North Catholic High School, was recognized recently for his outstanding work and partnership with MIKE Program. Mickola, who teaches freshman health and physical education at De La Salle North Catholic High School, has been an integral part of the success of the program at the school. He participates with great enthusiasm during the individual lesson plans, as well as offering his support for the teens’ Health Leadership Projects.

Now, finishing his fourth year with MIKE Program, Mickola also serves with the organization’s Education and Mentoring Committee. The committee is busy working on revisions to the curriculum and other support materials. Mickola even wrote an article about MIKE Program for his school’s newsletter earlier this year.

MIKE Program trumpets Mickola’s recognition and his dedication to improving the lives of young people! Partnerships with teachers like Mickola truly encourage healthier futures for teens.

MIKE Program youth at Rosemary Anderson High School hosted a Health Fair for their Health Leadership Project for their entire school. Besides presenting multiple stations which focused on physical fitness, the fair offered an aerobic and blood pressure clinic, a cooking healthy station and a competitive tug-of-war.

Volunteers from OHSU monitored the aerobic and blood pressure clinics, providing students with an immediate response to checking vitals. Besides giving the young medical students an opportunity to work with the teens, the youth were exposed to a variety of health careers.

Rosemary Anderson High School alumnus Jasmyne Romero hosted a healthy food station, where she demonstrated how to make a healthy pasta dish. Now starting her professional career at Veritable Quandary, Romero shared her thoughts about cooking healthy with the teens, then served up a yummy example.

MIKE Program Advisory Board member Kim Filla, director of community programs at the school, along with MIKE Program site facilitators, Leigh Rappaport and Mike Napoli, who host MIKE Program in their Health/Leadership Academy and Science classes, supported the youth in hosting the annual event. Filla started the event off with a school-wide physical activity. “Research shows that youth need to do some type of exercise that raises their heart rate,” said Filla, who has 15 years as a physical fitness trainer. “Just by increasing exercise, you can relieve stress and depression.”

For the youth, like project coordinators Marz and Dashanique, the event helps shape leadership skills and bolsters self-confidence, while allowing the teens to share what they learned with others. The pair worked with their fellow classmates to organize the events, plan a healthy lunch menu, make posters and invite volunteers. The MIKE Program youth were cheered by their school mates before they led the school to lunch.

After rousing games of hoops, double-dutch, relays and push up competitions, the school converged on the gym floor for a series of tug-of-war challenges. Even the staff and teachers joined in the fun. The event culminated in a healthy burrito lunch.

MIKE Program youth are congratulated by Kim Filla (far right) and their peers during the 2013 Rosemary Anderson High School Health Fair.

Convincing eighth graders that they can manage the health of their kidneys may be a hard sell for some. Such information is usually shrugged off until much later in life. But as MIKE Program youth have found, it’s important to share the information with teens who are beginning to establish life-long habits. So when 25 teens enrolled in MIKE Program’s afterschool program were planning their Health Leadership Project they knew just how to convey the message—with a “Kidney Karnival.”

Together with their health teacher, Therese Rice, and mentors Shannon Douglas, Christine Meyers and Kim Whitney, the teens developed an afternoon of instructional fun for their younger peers. The teens presented the information through interactive games to gently introduce important information that their younger peers would understand.

The eighth graders rotated between four separate stations which provided short demonstrations and games. The station themes included anatomy of a kidney, make-a-kidney, kidney vocabulary and kidney function. The youth used many of the same curriculum materials from which they learned about kidneys to help reinforce their newly-gained knowledge.

Miller Education Center youth share their knowledge of healthy kidneys with their younger peers at their “Kidney Karnival.”

Employees at Tuality Healthcare serve the residents of Washington County in many ways, both inside and outside the institution’s medical facilities in Hillsboro and Forest Grove. In 2012, the health provider contributed more than $1 million in volunteer hours through educational outreach campaigns and direct medical services for those most in need. 2013 looks to repeat such feats with efforts like a visit to Miller Education Center in Hillsboro last month.

Registered nurses Stan Shields, Terrie Ferguson and Rachele Morley joined MIKE Program for an afterschool Blood Pressure Clinic for teens. Two dozen youth were guided by the nurses in measuring their own blood pressure as well as their peers. Even Principal Stan Esselstrom joined in.

As part of MIKE Program’s curriculum to provide teens with an understanding of basic functions of their bodies, the blood pressure clinic helps them gain insight into the process of measuring blood pressure. It also provides a learning environment for the teens to learn about health care careers in a casual environment where they can talk directly with health care professionals.

The youth mixed questions of anatomy with what it takes to become a nurse or doctor. Dr. Kamala Randolph, a pediatrician with Westside Medical Clinic, discussed the importance education and maintaining a healthy lifestyle no matter what career choices they made. During the clinic, she focused on how the teens could maintain healthy blood pressure levels throughout their lives, especially as they get older.

Arie Roskott (on left) mentors a group of freshman at De La Salle North Catholic High School.

By Arie Roskott

Filling the role of a mentor conventionally embodies possessing genuine leadership skills and the ability to constructively guide others. Prior to joining the MIKE Program last September, I adhered to these traditional definitions too, as they seemed to offer the fundamental building blocks needed in order to comprehend what it means to be a mentor in the first place. Nonetheless, while they may provide a substantial foundation, these interpretations of the model are far too simple.

After evaluating my own unique opportunity to be a MIKE program mentor, I can assure you that the definition is much larger in scope than initially perceived. I think there is a tendency—perhaps even in our global society—to focus on a mentor-mentee relationship as purely one-way, with the mentor passing down insight and experience to the mentee, and the mentee absorbing information to take necessary steps toward success. It seems reasonably straightforward and positive, right?

My first day with the program is one I will not forget. After embarking on a 12-hour mentor training, I had a fairly solid grasp of what my role necessitated: support, empower, educate. I walked into the classroom with a confident demeanor, beginning to prepare nonfat yogurt parfaits and cups of water for an array of young, vibrant, and curious faces. Following the brief mentor introduction—which I must admit, finding words to describe where I was headed in life was much harder than anticipated—I began to settle in with my group of mentees, inquiring about their own goals and hobbies. Each student began to illuminate their own experiences, setting forth a sense of passion and drive that I had not witnessed prior. Jordan went on to discuss his favorite subjects, math and art, and how he hoped to adjoin both interests throughout his college career one day. Lexi raved about her success as a flyer on the private cheerleading league and just how intricate the process was, requiring a stellar diet and regular exercise. Stephanie beamed at the healthy snack we brought, continuing to elaborate on her dreams to draw and cook for families who needed food and the benefits of fine art the most.

I was captivated as I sat back to listen to their stories, also acknowledging how validating my presence was, even in moments when I merely sat in silence, listening. I began to further examine my own mentor-mentee relationship, noting just how often these students were empowering me to make healthy choices and listen to my own voice in times of doubt. Not to mention these teenagers were absolutely brilliant! As adults, it is often far too easy to enter these students’ lives under the impression that they need something from us…that we are “saving” them from a wrong path. While it is true that we carry on a legacy where we begin to changing lives for the better, most all of their success and innovation is intrinsic.

Fellow mentor, Danielle Ali-Cassim, commented on her unique experience, touching on an interesting parallel: “The teens I work with are highly intelligent. They teach me as much as I ‘teach’ them. As a mentor, I get to work firsthand with students, helping them think critically about their choices concerning health. I absolutely enjoy when they make realizations about lifestyle choices and decide to challenge themselves, even if it is something as small as reducing sugar intake or drinking more water, but trust me, so much of it comes from the students themselves.”

Now, after careful consideration, it is apparent that this relationship is much more multifaceted. Students and mentors not only work together to ensure a supportive and valuable connection, but additionally provide one another with a shared experience that can allow both to exit the program with a greater appreciation for diverse experiences—a quality that will extend far beyond high school and college. The leadership skills I discussed above are critical aspects of the program, most definitely, but when it comes to filling the role of a mentor (in the MIKE program or anywhere else you choose to go), I encourage you to enter with an open mind and allow yourself to fully experience the altruistic and rewarding nature of it. Once you come across such a genuine relationship, I assure you it will remain with you forever. Still reasonably straightforward? Go try it out and report back to me!

A healthy attitude about food helped garner De La Salle North Catholic High School the only stop in Oregon for Burpee’s nationwide “Grow Anywhere Tour” on April 15. The van offered free vegetable plants and a bag of vegetables to students and the local Kenton neighborhood community in North Portland.

Science teacher Kari Barnett led the effort to get the traveling van to Portland with an enthusiastic push by De La Salle North students through a Facebook campaign. The Burpee tour is traveling across the U.S. to tackle food deserts by offering fresh vegetables and plants to people in areas where access to healthy food is limited. The company plans to hand out 30,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and 13,000 vegetable plants to people living in food deserts.

Food deserts are areas where access to fresh produce can be difficult. The USDA counts more than 6,000 such deserts in the U.S. While Oregon has many food deserts, the North Portland neighborhoods surrounding De La Salle North High School find more residents struggle with accessing fresh fruits and vegetables than other communities in the metro region.

De La Salle North track stars Jasmyne Gaston, Nyalual Beng and team manager Katrina McGann, all juniors, stopped by the van before practice to pick up some plants and vegetables. Though Nyalual prefers fruits, the teens wanted to bring some free vegetables home to their families.

The teens are former MIKE Program participants, so healthy eating isn’t new to them. Helping out with the two-hour event included Tami Owen, whose daughter, Mandy, participated in MIKE Program last year. As she handed out plants to community members, she commented about MIKE Program. “It’s a great program,” she said. Anything that focuses the kids onto something good and beyond junk food is good.”

According to the CDC’s 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study, less than 12 percent of US teens consume at least four fruits or vegetables per day. Earlier this month, the American Heart Association released a study finding 80 percent of US teens have diets high in fat, salt and sugar, but low in fruits and vegetables.

Efforts like those of MIKE Program and Burpee are working to counter those findings and guide teens toward healthier diets and a healthier life. De La Salle High School incorporates MIKE Program into their health curriculum for all freshmen in the school.

Science teacher Kari Barnett (pictured second from the left) talks about healthy foods with members of the Kenton Community during Burpee’s “Grow Anywhere Tour” stop at De La Salle North Catholic High School on April 15, 2013.

A gathering of volunteers and supporters helped MIKE Program celebrate Our Community Gathering on March 10. In recognition of National Kidney Month, MIKE Program hosts the annual event to share updates with the program and celebrate the efforts of volunteers.

The event was organized by MIKE Program’s Kim Whitney and mentor/interns Danielle Ali-Cassim and Arie Roskott. They combined a “fun and facts” event that offered games and learning activities, along with guest speakers who shared their MIKE Program experiences with guests. Some of the activities included a stress test, build your own kidney, calorie counting, kidney bean bag toss and a yogurt parfait bar.

MIKE Program President Cheryl Neal, MD, and Program Coordinator Kim Whitney thanked MIKE Program’s volunteers, including members of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board, mentors, interns, committee members and event volunteers. Katy Cure was introduced as the Chair of An Autumn Evening 2013.

Keynote speaker, Susan Bagby, MD, presented an overview of MIKE Program’s progression during the event. Bagby, who serves on MIKE Program’s Advisory Board, has also been active in the Education and Mentoring Committee. De La Salle North Catholic High School Health Teacher David Mickola presented a look at how MIKE Program works within his classes.

A trio from OHSU’s Masters of Science in Healthcare Management program is converging on MIKE Program with a singular motive—how to make the organization increasingly sustainable. As MIKE Program grows, the team is looking for ways which can help support MIKE Program’s mission and expansion.

Ronald Sakaguchi, professor of OHSU’s Division of Management, is guiding the team for the six-month project. Sakaguchi, who holds a PhD in biophysical and numerical analysis, an MBA in entrepreneurship, a DDS and MS in dentistry and a BS in cybernetics, brings together his many talents to oversee the team’s progress. The OHSU program is geared to individuals looking to strengthen their academic and leadership skills in health care management.

MIKE Program’s team includes Shauna Hoffman, Kim Lepin and Lisa DiTommaso, each of whom works at OHSU. Hoffman and Lepin are employed with OHSU’s School of Medicine and DiTommaso is with OHSU’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department.

The team is busy interviewing key individuals connected with MIKE Program and attending meetings to learn more about the mission and services. The entire team provided a brief overview at MIKE Program’s Board of Directors meeting on February 20, with DiTommaso providing an introduction at MIKE Program’s Advisory Board meeting on February 22.

The team plans to present their findings in June. For more information about OHSU’s Masters of Science in Healthcare Management, click here.

(Pictured from left;) MIKE Program Advisory Board members Darin Christensen of Bullivant, Houser, Bailey, PC; and Kim Filla of Rosemary Anderson High School/POIC and Exhale Counseling listen as Lisa DiTommaso explains her role on the OHSU Masters in Science in Healthcare Management team with MIKE Program.

MIKE Program mentors at De La Salle North Catholic High School are welcoming spring early with a commitment to guiding youth toward healthier lifestyles. As the mentors get to know their teams of freshmen, they have already begun focusing on kidney anatomy, nutrition and chronic diseases.

This spring, a group of new and returning mentors are busy preparing their freshmen teams for a host of hands-on activities, field trips and class projects as they ready for their Health Leadership Projects.

Cody Gehring, Sunshine Taylor, Arie Roskott, and Danielle Ali-Cassim join Program Coordinator for MIKE Program Kim Whitney for their second outing this semester at the North Portland high school. New volunteer mentors include Shafaq Hassan, Alyssa Rife, William Graven, Maiko Satoh, Sofia Murfitti, Monica Vu and Allison Adams. Mentors contribute up to three hours each week with their freshman teams, preparing healthy snacks and training.

(Pictured from left:) Kim Whitney, Arie Roskott, Monica Vu, Allison Adams and Danielle Ali-Cassim