PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH
FACULTY
Mike Archer
Kristen Espling
Chad Kirkpatrick
Leslie Winchester
Course Offerings
Students are required to complete:
1.5 PE (for the class of 2025 and 2026)
1 PE (for the class of 2027 and beyond)
0.5 Health (for the class of 2025 and 2026)
1 Health (for the class of 2027 and beyond)
HEALTHY BODIES AND WELLNESS ½ credit
This health course focuses on seven topics across the semester related to Healthy Bodies and Wellness. It provides students opportunities to examine key issues that extend from understanding health risk factors of disease in relation to nutrition (including eating disorders), learning how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and performing hands-only CPR, recognizing stress and mental health concerns and then using appropriate coping strategies/techniques to manage their stress and access resources, recognizing suicidal behavior and using that knowledge to intervene and access resources, recognizing peer pressure tactics that influence decision making, understanding of the detrimental physical impacts on the body as a result of using illegal substances, and demonstrating proper refusal skills when feeling pressured to try illegal/unhealthy substances. Students will demonstrate their knowledge and skills through multiple pathways including but not limited to: demonstrations, written tests, presentations, and short and long response questions.
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS AND IDENTITY ½ credit
This health course focuses on six topics across the semester related to Healthy Relationships and Identity. It provides students opportunities to examine key issues including the human external and internal reproductive and sexual anatomy, effective decision making skills involved with non-sexual/non-romantic relationships as well as intimate relationships, refusal skills that will clearly define their feelings towards sexuality, an understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation and how it impacts attitudes, beliefs, and expectations in our society, the warning signs of mental, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and steps to intervene, and how to access resources, and practice online safety. Students will demonstrate their knowledge and skills through multiple pathways including but not limited to: demonstrations, written tests, personal plans, presentations, and short and long response questions.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION ADVENTURES ½ credit
This course focuses on team building, problem solving, cooperation, and trust. Activities utilize low and high elements of the ropes course. Students engage in activities specific to the five health-related components of physical fitness. Upon completion of the units, students will know how to implement a plan to sustain fitness through adult life. Assessment procedures include performance-based assessments, written tests of cognitive concepts, and self-responsibility evaluations.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION Spring and Fall ½ credit
Prerequisite: Successful completion of PE Adventures or teacher permission
This elective course offers students choices of individual/dual sports, recreational team sports and lifetime activities. Students will be required to participate in one lifetime activity during the semester. Taught for three weeks in eighty-minute blocks, each unit focuses students on attaining the knowledge to be physically fit: participating in health-enhancing physical activity and applying motor skills to enhance movement and physical performance; and developing responsible behavior during participation. Assessment procedures include performance-based tests as well as written tests of cognitive concepts and self-responsibility evaluations.
OUTDOOR EDUCATION Spring and Fall ½ credit
Prerequisite: Successful completion of PE Adventures or teacher permission
This elective course provides an opportunity for exercise as well as knowledge of the environment and wildlife. Students learn to participate in lifelong recreational activities. The class offers physically challenging outdoor lifetime activities. Students learn to live within the limits of personal ability in relation to the environment and explore the stress of accepting challenges and taking risks. Students are called upon to solve problems, share experiences, and learn in cooperation with others. Performance-based skills are assessed, as well as cognitive concepts in written tests, and self-responsibility.
PERSONAL FITNESS ½ credit
Prerequisite: Successful completion of PE Adventures or teacher permission
This elective course is designed to focus on students' personal fitness through individual exercise plans. Personal Fitness is developed for those who would like to learn how to make personal fitness a part of their daily lives. Students are expected to demonstrate improvement in all five areas of health-related fitness, as well as demonstrate knowledge of basic fitness concepts and nutrition education.
FEMALE-AFFIRMING WELLNESS ½ credit
Prerequisite: Successful completion of PE Adventures or teacher permission
This semester-long course is designed to encourage female students to improve their physical, mental and social health. Students become more health literate, critical thinkers, problem solvers and advocates. Students will engage in regular physical activity, learn hands-only CPR, stress management, self defense, team building, and nutrition, along with engaging in current event health.