To kick off the new year, let’s talk about a brand new edition to Lenape: Choice PE. This new “choice” will replace the traditional gym class we have experienced our whole lives. Instead of taking a standard PE class, students can now choose to take one of 6 gym courses based on each individual’s athletic interests. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors will all take one of these courses next year unless they chose to opt-out and take study hall instead. Choice PE will still be a semester course, meaning each student will still take two marking periods of health.

Choice PE courses offered next year include the following:

1. Personal Fitness – This course focuses on developing and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits including nutrition, positive emotional development, weight management, and training techniques and habits.

2. Dance – This course teaches students a variety of dance genres, dance-related fitness activities, basic techniques of dance, and choreography.

3. Mind and Body Wellness – This course uses yoga and circuit training to increase students’ flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and muscular endurance.

4. Team Sports – This course focuses on the importance of teamwork, cooperation, communication, and strategy in team sports including flag football, softball, soccer, ultimate frisbees, kickball, basketball, volleyball, etc.

5. Individual and Dual Sports – This course focuses on teaching activities that students can continue doing throughout their life to stay active and fit. Some of the activities include tennis, golf, pickleball, badminton, archery, 2v2 volleyball, etc.

6. PALS (Physical Activity Leadership and Service) – This course focuses on higher-level adventure education activities, such as climbing walls and ropes, while also giving students the opportunity to assist and team up with students who need modifications during their PE courses.

For more information on each of next year’s offerings, see the following link: https://storage.googleapis.com/pt06-1/messages/attachments/b5ce8ab226c55411556ab56dbcb9d342/LenapePEBrochure.pdf 

However, Choice PE. is not available to incoming freshmen. They will still have the traditional gym class for one year to allow them to gauge their interests and know what they want to do the following year. 

Personally, I have chosen to take Individual and Dual Sports. The activities offered in this course have always been my favorite exercises, so I am fairly happy with this new course offering. Similarly, Judith Lee and Bria Morgan, both juniors, plan to take Individual and Dual Sports next year. Another popular course is Mind and Body Wellness. Julia Moon and Victoria Bollar have signed up for this because of the yoga appeal. Maryam Mahgoub might also sign up for this course. She is currently choosing between this and Personal Fitness. Another course chosen is Team Sports, picked by Edison Yap. 

Feelings towards Choice PE vary. While most are excited about this new change, there are some concerns. For example, Maryam finds it unfortunate that you have to pick one course, meaning you cannot choose to do different things every day. She is also nervous about the fact that all grades will be combined in Choice PE. While gym classes are currently separated by grade, next year’s courses will combine all grades since you are only separated by course. Thus, some individuals are nervous about grade swapping since different classes have different levels of maturity. But, this might be good for underclassmen; they might be able to learn from their upperclassmen peers, and vice versa.

Whether or not you are excited about this new change, I hope you can find something to be happy about. This change lets you skip the less enjoyable activities and instead spend time doing things you find interesting! Make the best of the experience and pick a course you enjoy! Have fun, stay safe, and exercise on!