Our Staten Islander of the Week knows what it's like to struggle with obesity. That's why she's on a mission to prevent kids from going down the same path. NY1's Thalia Perez introduces us.
Debra Sander knows just how important exercise can be.
She's struggled to maintain a healthy weight for most of her life.
"I've been everywhere from a size six to a size 24," said Debra Sander, our Staten Islander of the Week.
Sander teaches health and physical education at P.S. 54.
Her focus is set on keeping kids on the right track when it comes to health and wellness.
"I believe that when you work when they're young, they don't develop the bad habits that I had," she said.
Sander joined the physical education department last year.
In just a short time, she was able to start the school's first dedicated gym class.
She created the coursework around the science of staying fit.
"It's not just fun, which is great," she said. "But it's the different muscle groups, it's aerobic, it's flexibility, it's strength training."
Sander puts in time off the clock to bring new programs and more resources to the school.
Thanks to her advocacy efforts, P.S. 54 was able to purchase new gym equipment last year.
It's all part of her mission to combine academics and athletics.
"If they are physically active, they learn more, they learn better, they learn at a higher level," said Sander.
The school currently uses its cafeteria as a gymnasium.
But after Sander wrote letters to officials, Mayor DeBlasio announced P.S. 54 will receive a new, freestanding gym.
Her efforts have also caught the attention of Borough President James Oddo.
"She is a testimony to the fact that one individual can impact lives and she is doing that," said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo.
And so, for creating the next generation of healthy minds and bodies, Debra Sander is our Staten Islander of the Week.