Buffalo Grove High School student Dasha Ignatova and other founding members have been surprised by the rapid success of the school's healthy lifestyle club that they helped start one year ago.

Beginning in fall 2016, the Elevate club, a school chapter of the national Life of an Athlete program, started with eight founding members but by the spring, the group totaled 200 members, the students said. Earlier this summer, the Life of an Athlete organization awarded the Buffalo Grove High School group with its "Program of the Year" honor.

"It was a huge surprise," Ignatova said of the award. "We're just trying to encourage other kids that there are better options than partying. The realization for others is the most important part for us."

It would be easy to pigeonhole the Elevate group as an anti-drugs club, but some of the founding members have said the message goes beyond that. Life of an Athlete and its chapters also try to teach students about the importance of healthy diets and sleep.

As Ignatova, who is an incoming senior and student athlete from Arlington Heights, and other founding members described it, Elevate teaches its members to take care of their bodies as a means toward taking care of their teammates.

Ignatova recently talked with Pioneer Press about the Elevate chapter as she and other seniors prepare students to lead the group once some of the senior members graduate. She said she plans to study chemical engineering in college after her senior year at Buffalo Grove High School.

Q: How do you keep in touch with so many kids?

A: It was more of an honor system. We have a pledge and if you sign it, you're saying you will be honest to it and to the other people who signed it. We talked with three or four kids about problems they had.

Q: Chemical engineering sounds important and lucrative. What is it?

A: You can work with different pharmaceuticals. You can work for companies that create hair sprays or medicine, or different bottled products. I've always felt that medicine is something that can be improved on. Something that has less side effects, or is better for your body.

Q: A high school kid somewhere hears about Life of an Athlete and wants to start a chapter. How does that kid replicate Elevate's success?

A: It only takes one person to make a change. Once his teammates realize, "Wow, this kid is excelling. He's the strongest one out of us all," and he might not be the greatest athlete, "Maybe, I should do what he's doing." And I'd tell the kid, "You don't need to force other people to do this."

Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago.

RWachter@PioneerLocal.com

Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer

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Shout Out: Dasha Ignatova, co-founder of healthy lifestyle club at Buffalo Grove High School - Chicago Tribune