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Observations From Participants In The First Results ProjectTM
Disclaimer: These observations are based on a single program and are not based on scientific research, and may not apply to the typical child population. There is no control group and this is not intended to be a scientifically or statistically valid study.
Amirah Yisrael is the founder and principal of the school where the parents put on the initial pilot program.
During the eight-week spring semester of 1997, the parents of the private, inner city, alternative school of which I am the principal carried out a program involving
all grades level 1-12. The parents agreed to give their kids a fruit and vegetable supplement for one semester, to see if the nutritional supplements would have any effect on their performance.
Quite honestly, this was one of the best things that ever happened to us.
When the PTA heard about the program they loved it and began to work together in a way I’ve never seen before. At the end of the program our PTA meeting had 100% turnout. That had never happened since we opened the doors. They all wanted to know what was happening because it seemed too good to be true.
The benefits for the children were obvious. In general, they appeared to have more energy for their homework, and seemed more focused and able to concentrate. The school was quieter and I experienced a calm over the entire school that I had not experienced during my 17 years as founder of the Academy.
We work the kids pretty hard, and they don’t always have an ideal level of energy and focus for our long days. We noticed that while they were taking the supplements, they were getting more done in class, and more of the assigned homework was getting completed. There were more and more kids who were saying,
"I get it… I get it." It was like the new saying.
Specific Improvements We Noticed Included:
 Better Grades: The overall student body grade point average increased.
More children on the "B or Better" Honor Roll.
Less Noise in the classrooms, less arguing among students, and a more focused learning atmosphere.
Fewer disciplinary actions required.
Because the children we work with have so many social issues to contend with, we conduct weekly conflict resolution workshops and rap sessions for the upper-grade students on various subjects: respect for self, peers and authority figures; teen pregnancy; gangs; drugs; and a variety of topics that stem from the rap sessions themselves. In one rap session, the kids who experimented with pot or other drugs identified themselves. The students who experimented most often or actually smoked pot regularly were the students who, at some time in their lives, had taken prescription drugs to improve their behavior. All said that they used the illegal drugs less while taking the supplements!
Here is a story, out of the many stories I could relate:
One of our children who had been typically lackadaisical and slow to (if ever) finish anything, started the nutritional supplement program beginning in April of 1997. Previously, in January of the same year, she had been given her eighth grade graduation criteria.
This assignment was to have taken six months to complete. By April, not she, her mother, or her teacher could see how she could possibly finish. It looked so hopeless that her mother would not even consider paying her graduation fee. Once she began the nutritional program, I noticed a definite change. She completed the entire list of graduation criteria by the middle of June. What was to have taken six months to complete took her six weeks!
Since the Results ProjectTM was put into the school two years ago there is not one student or teacher taking Ritalin or Prozac. There have been no guns, knives or clubs brought into the school. We are in the most violent and drug prone section of Chicago and we are clean! More importantly, the kids don’t get
mixed messages at our school; we don’t give them prescription drugs and then tell them to stay off drugs.
Amirah Yisrael
Minister Sunni is the nutritionist who implemented the pilot program.
I am a teacher and nutritional counselor with 20 years experience. Since 1987, I’ve been a paid consultant for several Chicago public schools, working with parents and students to help improve the children’s performance through improved nutrition. I’ve succeeded in this work mainly by using vitamin and mineral supplements, plus making dietary adjustments, especially reducing the intake of sugar and artificial food additives, and increasing the more nutritionally wholesome foods (fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, etc.)
When I read the research on the nutritional supplements used in the Results ProjectTM, I was eager to give them to the parents and the PTA to see if they would produce the same benefits I have seen with the more intensive approach I have used for the past ten years. My thinking was that this is a very easy thing to do. The kids like the supplements because it tastes like candy so it’s absolutely simple to administer. You just give the kids a treat, and that’s all there is to it!
We implemented the pilot program by giving the product to the parents and children who are on the south side of Chicago. The trial period was for the eight-week spring semester of 1997. The results were better than I could have hoped for. Not only did the improvements in the children’s performance appear sooner, they were decidedly more profound. There are many, many stories about individual children and the changes that took place. I’ll tell one that stands out for me.
This young man was a junior, but he was performing at only an eighth grade level and reading at only a fifth or sixth grade level. He was inattentive, not interested in homework and was often disciplined. After two weeks on the program, he was much more focused, and his attitude had improved markedly.
He came to class one day wearing glasses, which surprised his teacher, who had never seen him with glasses. She assumed he had taken them from a classmate and told him to give them back. He said, "They’re mine" to which the teacher said, "You’ve never worn glasses before." He said "Can’t read, why wear glasses?" She asked, "Why now?" He said, "I think I’m starting to get it and I want to try." Later in the semester, he asked to take a spelling test several days before it was scheduled. He had always gotten D’s and F’s before, and his teacher doubted him. She said, "You’re not ready," and he said, "Yes I am. Give me the test." She did, and he scored 100%, which he had never done before in his life. That test is still on the refrigerator after two years!
As I said, there are dozens of stories like this that those parents and children themselves could tell. I think the learning environment became noticeably better. I’m asking you, please take this program very seriously and test it for yourself with your own children. I promise you’ll be glad you did. Now every day the parents and children won’t start the day with out that fruit and vegetable Gummi Bear.
Minister Sunni
April Weaver is director of the Conflict Resolution Program and a teacher.
When we were first introduced to the nutritional supplement, I was thinking "Yeah, right. Let me check out the ingredients to make sure we want to do this." I was very skeptical. Once we read the research on the ingredients and we tasted the product, I had to let my children take it.
Then my whole family started taking it, and I wasn’t expecting anything at all. I was sold on going to the health food store, buying vitamin C and all the other mineral things. I was using those things already, and I didn’t expect this nutritional product to be any different or better. Well, it’s totally different. We were all amazed when we realized what was happening.
I would say that the most noticeable benefits for my family were that we felt stronger and more energetic, more resilient, more patient and less irritable. That seemed to be true for all of us. My four-year-old used to have a tendency to whine and have a self-esteem problem. Now he’s perkier and much more confident.
My children wake up more refreshed in the morning, go to bed more easily and take naps with a lot less problems. Before, I had to fuss and threaten them to get them to bed. They’re more energetic, too. They do what they have to do in the day, and when their bodies are ready to rest, they’re told to go to bed and they go!
Auriga Cohran is head of the social sciences department and the director of both vocational development and African American history.
I had one junior class that was quite lethargic, and I do mean the whole class! I taught them right after lunch and everything was always boring to them. You would think they had just run fifty miles or something. They would come dragging into class, I would pass out their homework and they would all but fall asleep.
About two weeks into the program, I noticed that everybody was alert. Everybody! It took about three weeks for me to realize that one child in particular had stopped falling asleep and falling out of his chair. To me, this was mind-boggling. We had spent at least two years with him on this chair issue.
Martina used to be extremely cranky all the time. She was very weepy, always sad about something, always down, always gloomy and irritable. She’s such a cute little girl, but no one wanted to be around her because of her attitude. It took a while, but after several weeks, she was no longer whining. Now she plays with other kids, she goes to bed on time and she’s become more inquisitive and outgoing.
The number of older kids who go off the property for lunch to the burger joints has cut down by half. They now go through the cafeteria lunch line and go for seconds of salads. They volunteered to stay on school property.
I know these stories sound too good to be true, but they are true. We had no expectations at all going into this. When the parents said they were going to give their kids fruit and vegetables to help in school we all laughed. Well, we’re not laughing now!
Kenneth Ramey is a math and science teacher in grades 9-12
The students would remind us to give them their supplements. There were fewer absences because of colds, stomachaches or lethargy. There was less horseplay. Chairs were not being moved around so often, and objects were staying still. There was definitely less talking and more concentration. The environment was less stressful. The students practiced more self-control. They even smiled more often. They liked each other more.
Jamillah Kareem is an elementary school teacher in grades 3-6
Students were better able to focus on learning. They developed a higher interest level on their studies. They stopped interacting so loudly and were less disruptive with each other. They were focused enough to complete assignments and homework.
Observations From The School Children:
Miriam Jackson Age 16
Dear Steve,
I started taking your stuff when I was in 8th grade and during that time I needed a lot of energy to graduate because we had loads of work to do in a short amount of time. Before I took them it was hard for me to concentrate on one thing, my mind would scatter leaving me to not get my work done. I was always tired, I use to sleep in my classes, which again caused me to not get my work done. I also had four little children to look after (my nieces & nephews) and it was hard on me. Therefore, when my principle came in and asked us if we wanted to be involved in the Results ProjectTM to boost our energy and improve our study habits, I thought, "why not" it was worth the try. I needed something to assist me in the massive project I was trying to under take.
Shortly after taking the products I noticed a complete change in my behavior and my teachers did as well. I had more energy and I could finally do my work. I past some of my test and did pretty well. After I started to do better I looked at my nieces and nephews and I thought, "Maybe they could do better also." I started giving them some and they started doing great, but they had a little to much energy so I thought maybe if I gave them less that they’d calm down. They did but only a little bit. Well, I graduated and I'm a junior, I attend Chicago State University Upward Bound and I'm taking CNA classes. I'm also a poet that is starting to publish a book. I plan on attending Fisk University to study Pre-Med. to be a doctor. After all my years of college I shall be a doctor. I also plan to come back to my community to help others that want to succeed.
Najedah Kareem Age 14
Dear Steve,
I'm one of the students that is working on the Results ProjectTM, video skits and activity books. I like working on the project because it helps me see how little kids think and what they like to do. I feel the project is going really well. We are working really fast and doing a great job! I attended the Israel Academy when we started the Results Project with the fruit and vegetable products. When I started to take them I was in 8th grade. Before I started to take them I was tired a lot, I wanted to go to sleep in every class. I wasn't getting all of the nutrients I needed to stay awake and be healthy. The products started giving me energy. Before I started to take them I was an okay student. Although I was always tired I liked school and I liked to learn. After I started to eat them I improved in my studies a lot. The products helped me think better and remember more. I just became more interested in other studies as well. Those fruit and vegetables helped me a bunch.
Isaac Bradley Age 17
Dear Steve,
My name is Isaac Bradley and I am a senior at the Israel Academy. I am the other male that is working in the Results Project™ team. I think that the videos and activity books will help young people to learn about nutrition. When I first had your fruit Gummi Bears I was a sophomore year in high school and that’s when they told me it was going to be an experiment. I thought that we were being used as some type of guinea pigs or something. I began focusing in school. My memory got better and I think the bears made my performance better athletically. I say this because when I was on the basketball team at the park district I averaged more points when I took your stuff regularly.
Rajneesh Saeed Ali Age 16
Dear Steve,
My name is Rajneesh Saeed Ali. I am one of the males on The Results Project team at the Academy. We are currently working on short skits and activity books about food and nutrition for the youth of today
When I first started taking your stuff I didn't really feel the difference in my energy. I didn't feel any more energy than I already had. I figured that it was just another one of those fake health food candies. When my teachers told me all the ingredients that were in it, I thought they must have been talking about something else and not that small little Gummi bear they just gave me. That's how I looked at your pills for the first week that I took them, plain old Gummi bears. Then I started to notice that I was able to read long science chapters in almost half my usual time. I was already good in math but my math skills also improved greatly because I concentrated more.
It was kind of weird because I had energy but I could also sit down and read a book. This is one thing that I had some real problems with until I started taking your products. I couldn't do my homework without having a radio and a TV on and this method usually ended up with me not finishing my homework. Now I have learned to focus. So all in all I would like to say that I would be honored to support anything with the Results ProjectTM
Eliyannah Yisrael Age 16
Dear Steve,
I don't know who all is going to see this, so I'll try to sound as professional as possible.
When supplements first came to my school, the student morale was very low. Many of the students were bitter in general, no homework was being done, and we were all very tired. There were times when you couldn't walk down the hall or into a classroom and not hear someone arguing or complaining.
At first, no one wanted to take the chewable fruit and vegetable pills, they thought it was stupid, and we often heard the comment "we don't want nobody experimenting on us." Then after a couple of weeks, we started to look forward to the times when we would line up for our healthy Gummi bears. We liked the chewables so much that many times, the older children bribed the younger children out of theirs. Sometimes, people would get in line more than once to try and sneak more. The supplements became an incentive to finish special projects, and the students would give an extra effort in order to win a box. All of a sudden, homework was being turned in, students were more cordial, and instead of complaining, they were trying to find a way to help.
In addition, I had acute asthma that was becoming more serious, consequently, when I started using the products, my attacks decreased and the duration for which I could participate in athletic activities increased. Because my grades were already good, I saw only a minor improvement in my grades. Other kids become interested in doing their homework and began calling me at home and asking for help.
I did notice, however, that once the products were removed from our school, things went back to the way they were. That’s when mom decided to buy some for us.
Observations from a Parent:
Maida Jackson is the parent coordinator as well as the secretary of the School Board of Directors.
Dear Steve,
I was the parent coordinator at the Academy from September 199l through December of 1999. I have been a working part of the school for many years and have seen the struggle and progress of its student body and the school in general. My specialty is conflict resolution and negotiations in the work place. My daughter has been a student since first grade. She is now a junior in high school.
In the spring of 1997 we were asked to conduct an informal project using glyconutritional products. You call this the Results ProjectTM. Though I was a little reluctant as the time, as many of us were, we agreed to do the project.
To my surprise, we experienced an improved school environment overall. The teachers complained less, which was great for me because I was the one who the complaints usually came through. My ears were being bent out of shape. And they even called me at work! This was unnerving. The children began to eat more nutritionally, and grades shot up for that period. Students and parents asked for more of the product. Most could not afford the cost of the product we used because they were low income and already living on a shoestring. They just could not include it into their budgets.
I have a personal testimony for you as well. I am the parent of the infamous Miriam Jackson. At the time of the project she was an eighth grader struggling to complete the requirements for graduation. I didn't think she was going to make it. As a matter of fact I refused to pay the graduation fee. I don't like to waste money. I fussed and fussed at Miriam for sleeping so frequently and being so lackadaisical about her schoolwork.
Upon taking the product at school for only several weeks Miriam miraculously changed her behavior. In the six weeks we conducted The Results Project™, she finished the requirements that should have taken six months. I was sold. I was also disappointed when we were told by the compliance department of the company to cease and desist all Results ProjectTM activity and claims that were conducted directly through the school itself. As a matter of fact we were highly offended, angry and disturbed. We felt that, once again, people who live in the "ghetto" don't matter.
Eventually you changed the program to include only the parents and not the school itself so that this program can be used by anybody whether they’re in a private school or a public school. Not having the school liable was a stroke of genius.
I am glad someone has finally shown an interest in our findings. It is a school that I feel strongly about. I have seen first hand the dedication that Amirah Yisrael has for her mission and for the children whom she teaches. I pray the work we agreed to do in the spring of 1997 can help kids everywhere in the year 2000.
Maida Jackson
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