Jersey City middle school builds $100000 gym with Coca-Cola fitness funding - The Jersey Journal - NJ.com

The principal of Jersey City’s School 40 commissioned a study of the school’s population recently and found that almost 50 percent of its roughly 400 middle schoolers are overweight, with 24 percent classified as obese.

Hoping to get the kids’ waists trimmer, Principal Francine Luce applied for, and won, a $100,000 grant to build a fitness center inside the Gates Avenue middle school.

The gym, one of three in the state obtained through a partnership with the National Foundation of Governors’ Fitness Councils and Coca-Cola, opened yesterday with an appearance by fitness guru Jake Steinfeld, of Body by Jake fame, who urged students to get fit.

“I was a fat kid with a bad stutter when I was young,” Steinfeld told the crowd of students gathered in the school’s auditorium before he unveiled the gym. “My dad bought me some weights and it changed my life.”

Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles said she’s “jealous” of the kids because of their shiny new fitness center. In brief comments to the crowd, Lyles quoted President John F. Kennedy stressing the need for physical education.

“We want to make sure your minds and bodies are ready for the challenges ahead,” she said.

The 1,500-square-foot fitness center is one of almost 100 nationwide built with funding from Coca-Cola (the other two in New Jersey are in Asbury Park and Roselle). Steinfeld, chair of the foundation, said it’s important to reach out to private industry because tax dollars are stretched thin.

“There’s no way I could do this with government funding,” he said.

The school will use the fitness center for gym class daily, and teachers will be able to work out in it before and after school.

The gym may soon be open for use by the community after school and on weekends, according to Luce, who said school officials are coming up with a plan to have the fitness center staffed then so residents can have access.

Luce said she’ll incorporate the new gym into her daily workout regimen.

“Every day at 4,” she said. “I’ll put my earpiece in, make some phone calls.”