BY ALLISON PERSTON
Staff Writer

When students received their schedules in the beginning of this year, they may have seen something other than the average gym class. Several different gym classes have been added to the curriculum at the same time that freshmen and sophomores will only need two semesters of gym.
Physical education teacher Timothy Laughlin said the changes were made to help students have more choices and to open up more spaces in schedules for other classes.
“We’re offering new classes, a little differently,” Laughlin said. “Now, if you want to do yoga, there’s wellness. For the athletes there’s team sports, and if you want outdoor activities there’s a new outdoor adventures class.”
Previously, a regular gym class had students work on different skills in many sports. In the new classes, students work only on specific sports or exercises based on their choice.
One of the main concerns for the gym teachers, however, is that students aren’t given as much experience in the specialized classes, Laughlin said.
“It used to be that in ninth through twelfth grade, you got exposed to different sports,” Laughlin said. “With the new classes, students get more choices, but are only exposed to one or two different things.”
Laughlin said one of the main reasons that the classes were changed was “for kids who need gym credit recovery and to open up schedules to different electives for more options.”
A popular choice among students, including freshman Hannah Leschak, is the new Wellness class.
Leschak said having more choices makes gym class more enjoyable.
“It’s not as overwhelming and hot as regular gym,” Leschak said. “It’s a great way to start your day.”
Junior Olivia Shoup also agrees with the gym changes.
Shoup said the new classes are good for students who might not enjoy the traditional gym class.
“I think the gym changes were a great idea,” Shoup said. “I don’t like gym in theory, but getting some choice in what I’m learning and doing makes it a more enjoyable experience to me and I’m sure to others as well.”
One drawback is that gym class selection has become similar to choosing an elective now: students do not always get their first choice.
Students like Shoup have been put into gym classes that are almost the opposite of what they had originally signed up for.
“It seems like there’s no point in offering a choice if you’re not even going to get into the class you want,” Shoup said.
Another addition to the new classes affects the number of gym credits required.
Sophomores and freshman only need two gym semesters in all of high school. Juniors and seniors are still required to have one semester of gym every year.