For those of us out there who remember gym class as consisting primarily of kickball and situps, this article should be of particular interest.
How many of us can say that we could canoe or kayak for physical education (PE) credit?
Please click here to view a fun video about a Colchester High School PE unit in which students are doing just that.
In fact, all across your school district, physical education is diverse and engaging and is adaptable in order to meet individual students’ needs. In addition to its increasing academic integration, PE curriculum is steadily evolving into that which is health based and designed to instill a love for physical activity and to encourage healthy lifestyles. By incorporating such activities as cross-country skiing, tennis, and snowshoeing (among others), your schools’ PE curriculum aims to demonstrate how exercise can be a fun way to be proactive about health and wellness for an entire lifetime.
CHS PE teacher Morgan Samler has compiled a video clip offering a visual sampling of some of the high school PE curriculum; please click here to view it.
In 2012, the Vermont State Legislature passed Vermont Act 151 requiring cardiovascular care instruction in public and independent schools. Here, Morgan Samler is instructing a student in chest compressions.
CHS PE teacher Morgan Samler works with a student in CPR training
And if you missed our Spotlight article about the CHS ropes course, you can read it here.
Malletts Bay School has a fantastic climbing wall (purchased with many years’ worth of funds raised as part of the annual Colchester Ski-Skate and Sporting Goods Sale) as part of its offerings (please click here to read an article about it).
Skills learned in physical education classes can also lead to participation in organized athletic activities and even internationally competitive events; even jump roping has becoming an internationally competitive sport. Earlier this year, a mysterious jump roping panda arrived at Porters Point School to help students with their Jump Rope for Heart initiative. (You can read that article and watch a video clip of the mystery panda here.)
Union Memorial School students helped to break a world record for jumping jacks as part of the 2011 Let’s Jump campaign, and as part of a unique UMS walking challenge program, one student walked more than fifty miles during his three years at the school!
Evidence demonstrates that learning and physical activity are complementary—that engaging other parts of the brain during learning will increase retention and enhance knowledge acquisition. And then there are the added benefits of letting students expend some of their physical energy in an interactive, productive way rather than asking them to sit still for long periods of time. (To read a Spotlight article about action-based learning, please click here.)
Physical education is also an important component of wellness, which is a pathway of the Colchester School District Vision and Strategic Plan 2012–2017.
To learn more about physical education programs in Colchester School District, please contact any of your schools.
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