Las Vegas High School Creates Fitness Studio from a Storage Room

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Students at Western High School in Las Vegas (64.7% Latino), now have their very own yoga studio thanks to a unique partnership between sportswear retailer Lululemon and Create a Change Now, a Las Vegas non-profit agency. The two groups and local artists D2 came together to transform an old storage space into a state-of-the art facility where all Western High students can exercise and de-stress.

In September 2016, over 75 students and teachers attended the promotional yoga session held for the grand opening of the studio. Weekly sessions will continue to be held twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. The school’s goal is to have at least 12 students attend each class.

“All of the kids don’t play sports,” said Joyce Sportsman, a yoga instructor at Western High. “They’re not in a club or activity, and this [yoga] could be something for them to do.”

The yoga studio will greatly help Latino students who have many barriers to working out beyond the school day, as well as those who may need a place to de-stress. Sportsman says, “it’s tough enough to be a teenager. The meditation in yoga — the calming, centering and finding of peace— is a tool that is invaluable to everyone, but if you can give it to a teenager, it’s a game-changer. It’s a world-changer.”

Click here to read more about Western High Schools yoga studio.