This article talks about the Academy of the Sierras, a new private school which is billed as the US' first weight-loss school for obese teenagers. Students must be at least 30 pounds overweight for two years to attend this yearlong boarding school, which offers mandatory exercise, behavioral therapy, college-prep classes, and a healthy food regimen. The aim: shedding and keeping off excess pounds through improving all dimensions of a student--academic, emotional, and physical, school administrators say. The school has 32 students, many of them girls, and may enroll up to 70 8th to 12th graders by the end of the school year. Unlike other popular weight-loss programs, the academy does not stint on food. Students can have their fill of a colorful salad and fruit bar, which features "uncontrolled foods" that are low in calories and fat. "Controlled foods"--such as baked ham, rice, and potato pancakes--are carefully measured by cafeteria employees. Students can come back for seconds, but must note the amounts in their food journals. Another is that the ubiquitous noise of modern technologies is muted. GameBoys, televisions, and computers are barred from dorm rooms. Internet use is limited to academic research in a computer lab under adult supervision, and students are allowed to call home just twice a week. The lone TV set resides in the workout room, in front of shiny new exercise machines. However, one major criticism of the school is its tuition. At $5,500 a month, or $44,000 per school year, it is out of reach for most families.