HIPPOs Club 2009
HIPPOs lose more than 340 pounds
Seventy-four employees at Cypress
Creek High School are literally working
their butts off to win the Cypress Creek
HIPPOs Club 2009 challenge—a
friendly weight-loss competition that
promotes living a healthy lifestyle.
HIPPOs, which stands for Healthy
Individuals Pleasantly Pursuing Optimal
Shapes, was initiated by Carol Gibson,
Cy Creek DI helping teacher.
“I started the HIPPOs challenge
with our staff as a way for faculty to
continue building positive morale,” she
said. “As a former coach, I value healthy
competition as a means of motivation
and what better way to lose weight than
to do it competitively.”
And yes, participants—divided
fairly into teams of three with at least
one female member—are competing
relentlessly against one another for the
next 13 weeks to triumph as the team
that loses the most weight.
“This competition is not about
individual loss—it’s about how much
the team loses,” Gibson said.
“The team that loses the greatest
percentage of weight collectively
by April 9, 2009 wins.”
In three weeks, participants of
the program have
lost more than
340
pounds
c o l l e c t i v e l y.
The first weighin was held in the
school’s clinic on Jan. 9
where each participant
submitted a form that
listed his/her goal of
the anticipated amount
of weight that he/she
would strive to lose in
HIPPO participants weigh
themselves in on a weekly basis.
4 / THE CONNECTION
the 13 weeks of the competition.
Keeping each participant’s weight
confidential, the school nurse only
reports the total amount lost or
gained. Each participant weighs
in every Thursday or Friday in the
clinic and must pay $1 if he/she
fails to weigh in by Friday or when
he/she gains a pound or more.
“I believe this holds them
accountable and actually motivates
them to stick to their goal,” Gibson
said.
A weekly newsletter is sent out
to provide updates of the overall
weight loss of participants, reporting
the successes and failures of the
teams. The newsletters also serve
as a source of encouragement
to participants and offers tips on
exercise and diet. Awards are also
given out to top teams on a weekly
basis as an incentive
to continue toward
As an amenity to HIPPO participants,
the goal of losing the
the school’s weight room—equipped
most weight.
with treadmills, elliptical and weight
“If the wrong
machines—is available to staff before and
team (which is any
after school. 
team but your own)
is winning, by all
means buy them
before and after school.  Additionally,
some chocolate, bake a cake, and offer the track coaches extended an invitation
them false low-fat meals…SABATOGE!” to participants to join them on the track
Gibson said. “The more creative the in the mornings and/or afternoons to run
better.”
with the track team. Fitness classes such
The cost per person to enter the as pilates, kickboxing and boot camp
competition was $20. The team that are also offered weekly by Gibson, and
loses the most weight will win the entry a 10th-grade biology teacher made her
fee money to divide among the three services as a nutritionist available to all
members. According to Gibson, an participants.
individual could win $400 or more. On
“There’s no doubt that participants
top of that, she added, HIPPOs can take are receiving a lot of support in this
pride and feel good about their weight competition,” Gibson said. “And what
loss and their overall health.
I love the most is that through this
As an amenity to HIPPO challenge they are not only having fun
participants, the school’s weight room— but they are experiencing the importance
equipped with treadmills, elliptical and of building team morale.”
weight machines—is available to staff