Connecting Content and Communities

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By Kerry Martin, Dean of Studies

At Providence High School, we share the same mission as Providence Health and Services, and one of our core expected outcomes for our students is that they are lifelong learners who “understand the importance of leading an active, healthy lifestyle.” PHS was recently awarded the Mother Joseph Grant to start up a new initiative. The grant money will be used to purchase fitness trackers for the entire incoming ninth grade Class of 2021 to use. Our goal is to have our Physical Education, Math, and Science Departments collaborate on an interdisciplinary approach to using data from personal fitness trackers to make their individual content more personally relevant to our students. Because Physical Education classes are not approved by the University of California system, any PE class our students take does not count towards their UC GPA, which is applicable to most private colleges and universities as well. This reality deters many of our students from taking Physical Education classes. Last semester, only five students were enrolled in our Boys’ Advanced PE class and even lower interest in a Girls’ Advanced PE class made it impossible for us to run the class. While students have opted to join our Nutrition class, Boys’ Advanced PE course, and our sports programs, that accounts for only 222 students of our entire student population of 434. Only students in the ninth grade year are required to participate in Physical Education classes. That means approximately 49% of our student population is not involved in any regular, consistent physical exercise or health education. We would like to change these statistics by integrating physical fitness and health awareness into our existing classes. We know that we can do more to engender a healthier community and encourage our young people to value their health and fitness. Students these days are involved in a multitude of worthwhile and necessary non-physical activities that make serious demands on their time: student government, charitable volunteering, working jobs, participating in Mock Trial, Academic Decathlon, Performing Arts, studying for Advanced Placement and Honors courses, preparing for standardized testing in weekend and night programs, and college applications and tours. Integrating physical fitness and monitoring of their health into their existing classes and routines will simplify their healthcare awareness rather than adding yet another task or obligation. We are thrilled to bolster the Mission of Providence Health and Services and our Vision for Student Learning by integrating fitness tracking in an innovative yet simple way. Considering that we are the only high school in the United States that is governed by a Healthcare organization, we believe especially that our students should be a model for building a healthier community. As recent educational research has shown, there is greater correlation between physical exercise and intellectual development than previously thought. Look no further than John Medina, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. As a college-preparatory secondary school, we are very much interested in helping our students realize and capitalize on the developmental benefits associated with increased movement and exercise.

As well-known educational researchers such as Philip Schlechty and Robert Marzano have found, student engagement is directly correlated to the relevance of the content and assignments to a student’s own life and delving into consequential, real-world problems or issues. During the first year of implementation, 9th grade students involved in this project would use the data from their fitness tracker in the following courses of study: Physical Education, Biology, and Math. Allowing students to connect content from one area of study to another facilitates critical thinking and collaboration amongst both students and teachers. Our long-term goals also include inspiring and developing both our students and our teachers to prioritize their self-care and well-being. The instructors of all participating classes will collaborate on a way to anonymously share the students’ fitness data and determine application of the device. A similar program was run at Casey Middle School in Boulder, CO as a case study on how movement impacts learning by structurally altering the school day to run a 45-minute fitness class before a 45-minute class period in language arts (Edutopia, “Fit Lit: How Movement Impacts Learning”). That case study informally monitored the students’ focus, mood, and formally tracked the student academic achievement. The school saw a 22% increase in student test scores across all subjects in nine years, compared to an 8% increase state-wide, and was designated as a School of Excellence in Arts Education.

We are always looking for innovative ways to connect to our students and to help our students connect to their learning and we are so very grateful to Providence Health and Services for providing us with this opportunity. These are exciting times to be in education and we aim to embody the Pioneer Spirit in all we do – discovering what inspires us and charting our own unique path towards a better tomorrow for ourselves and our community. GO PIONEERS!