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Opinions
New PE Schedule Encourages Lifelong Fitness, Limits Options By Alex Ray
Starting in the 2013-2014 school year, Fairview High School will be implementing a new Physical Education program called Better Bodies and Brains (BBB). The Fairview Friends Foundation (FFF) and FHS created Better Bodies and Brains “to help current FHS students, their families and alumni create a lifestyle of life-long health and fitness,” according the the official BBB flyer. The main effect that Better Bodies and Brains will have on FHS students is the new three-pronged physical education class. According to Carrie Nitchoff, PE teacher at Fairview, you will “choose from three different physical education activities each day...one will be weights, one will be sports, and one will be fitness such as yoga or Zumba.” BBB is based off two solid elementary ideas, according to the official flier. 1) That students’ fitness level directly correlates to their academic performance and 2) that regardless of age, cardiovascular exercise improves all around mental and physical health. In a scientific study conducted by Terence Dwyer in 2001, he studied approximately 8,000 Australian school children with the result being that “physical activity enhances academic performance.” As for the second basic BBB idea, many scientific studies have been conducted that show that exercise has numerous positive health effects. Among these was a 2005 study by Frank Penedo that found that “participants engaging in regular physical activity display
Photo by Emily Ellis
Raquetball Court
Basement Weight Rooom
Upstairs Gym
Spinning Room
Yoga, Kettle Bell, Aerobic Fitness Classes
Free Weights, Circuit Training, Cardio Machines
The raquetball court will become a spinIllustration by Alex Ray ning room; the weight room will be an aerobic room; the small gym will be the new weight room. more desirable health outcomes... including better general and health-related quality of life, better functional capacity and better
The change surrounding Fairview’s fitness rooms has already begun. mood states.” However, it is unclear how this physical education schedule helps FHS students start to develop strong habits with regard to their
fitness. The current PE system has extensive options available, including team sports, racquet sports, weightlifting, bowling, aerobic walking, and more. It is not clear how diminishing the PE options would lead to habitual exercise later in life. I realize that the major benefit of this program is the students’ ability to choose different activities every day. However, it seems counterintuitive saying that adolescents will create better habits when they are only exposed to a small number of options as opposed to the real world where there are countless ways to maintain fitness. To give students the groundwork they need to create better healthy habits later in life, it is prudent to make available a large number of class options, so students can make their own choices on how to be fit.