Lockport Union-Sun & Journal Some cant wait for Friday, but there might be a few Charlotte Cross students who are looking forward to Thursdays too.

The school, which houses the city school districts Lockport Opportunity Projects, is offering a yoga class for students Thursday mornings. So far, students are finding the class beneficial, saying it has not only helped improve their health but self confidence as well.

It helps relieve stress, said Jessica Urbanczyk, 16.

The yoga class is a part of STARTS, which stands for Students Taking All Roads To Success, a group of programs designed to increase student awareness of community resources and job opportunities.

The activities are held every Thursday for juniors and seniors, while ninth- and 10th-graders attend Orleans/Niagara BOCES for vocational programs for career exploration.The idea is to expose students to a variety of activities that will allow them to acquire skills and prepares them to be successful and contributing members of the community, said Russell Buckley, director of alternative education for Lockport City Schools.

The response has been great, Buckley said, especially to the yoga.

The young ladies involved simply love the program, he said.

Some of the other STARTS programs include the school newspaper, the school store and recycling program. Theres also historical studies through film, where kids watch movies or shows and then discuss them in a classroom setting. Finally, the students in the school and communitybeautificationprogram do some improvement work around the school and the Lockport area.

Yoga is an exercise system consisting of different physical, mental and spiritualdisciplines,originatingfrom ancient India. The idea isnt just to improve physical health, but the entire person.

The class is run by Susan Holguin, a teacher aide with 20 years of experience practicing yoga. She studied at the Himalayan Institute and has a background in Feng Shui and massage therapy.

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Yoga class in session at Lockport school