Trustees Approve New Physical Education Courses

Huntington School Board voted unanimously to approve five new physical education courses that will be open to students in grades 9-12. Team Sports, Individual/Lifetime Sports, Personal Fitness, Dance, Yoga & Mindfulness and Unified Physical Education will be semester-long courses that students can schedule during the 2024/25 school year.

The new courses are the result of student surveys, physical education teacher input, research and analysis of course offerings across the country and discussions among building and district officials for more than one year. The new classes will provide students with choice in physical education. Adapted Physical Education will also continue to be offered.

Students will now be able to select specific courses that interest them rather than continuing to register for a general physical education class. Physical education is a semester based course. Students earn .25 credit for each semester for a total of two credits over the course of high school.

The five new courses were unanimously approved by the Subject Matter Council on September 20 and by the Educational Development Committee on October 5.

Assistant Superintendent Beth McCoy read descriptions for each of the courses during the October 23 Huntington School Board meeting. She helped shepherd the new courses through the approval process. Huntington High School Principal Brenden Cusack gave the proposal for the new classes his full support.

Physical education teachers presented the new courses to students last week to prepare them for the choices they will be asked to make during the scheduling process with school counselors. Similar presentations will be made for Finley Middle School eighth graders by physical education teachers in that building.

School counselors have met with the physical education department to review the five courses to prepare them for meeting with students.

Although Unified Physical Education has been offered in many other states, Huntington High School is believed to be the first to offer it on Long Island. That has teachers and students excited.

The new courses and descriptions include:

PE 9-12 - Team Sports (PE 800T)

This course is designed to give students an opportunity to learn and develop fundamental and advanced skills and strategies in the team sport category as well as general fitness concepts and conditioning techniques used for achieving and maintaining optimal physical fitness. Students will participate in comprehensive team and cardio-respiratory activities and be empowered to make healthy choices, develop positive behaviors in a team setting, enhance their overall wellness and engage in movement activity for lifelong fitness. The curriculum features a variety of team sports. Students will learn skills, strategies, rules and personal and social responsibility in activities that encompass the sports of flag football, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, team handball, soccer, Ultimate Frisbee and softball as well as several others.

PE 9-12 – Lifetime/Individual Sports (PE 800L)

This course is designed to give students an opportunity to learn and develop fundamental and advanced skills and strategies in the lifetime/individual sport category as well as conditioning techniques used for achieving and maintaining optimal physical fitness. There will be basic, intermediate and advanced levels instruction in badminton, bowling, golf, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, pickle ball one-on-one basketball, lawn games, Frisbee golf, running/walking and personal fitness training, both indoors and outdoors. Classes will be held outdoors, in the gym and in adjoining fitness, rig and weight rooms.

PE 9-12 – Personal Fitness (PE 800P)

This course is designed to improve the personal fitness level of participants through anaerobic and aerobic conditioning exercises utilizing the fitness room, rig room and weight room as well as outdoor facilities. Students will learn how to create and follow through with workout plans for a variety of goals that meet their personal needs and interests. Nutrition, principles of fitness, anatomy and a variety of training methods will be explored. Students will be empowered to train and monitor themselves after school, on weekends and during vacation periods.

PE 9-12 - Dance, Yoga and Mindfulness Physical Education (PE 800D)

Dance, Yoga and Mindfulness is a physical education course designed for students to achieve individual fitness goals. It provides all students with the opportunity to acquire comprehensive knowledge of dance and yoga skills, the practice and benefits of mindfulness and fitness concepts. Students develop and apply a broad understanding of choreography, dance, yoga and fitness elements and learn a variety of fun training techniques, which can be applied toward achieving personal fitness goals. The combination of fitness, dance and yoga offers students a total body workout, which promotes heart-healthy benefits along with the positive attributes associated with mindfulness. Students will learn movements in step-cardio, dance-cardio, body toning, Zumba fitness, cardio-Latin dance, hip-hop dance, Pilates and others dance genres.

PE 9-12 – Unified Physical Education (PE 800U)

The Unified Physical Education course provides a unique opportunity for students with and without disabilities to come together through ongoing educational and physical activities. The course provides an environment where students can apply the skills learned and bonds created during Unified PE in Huntington High School’s Unified bowling and Unified basketball programs. The course is designed to advance student leadership, promote social justice and improve overall health and wellness. This course can be the foundation for creating a more inclusive school environment where individual differences are embraced and all students are accepted. Course objectives are to increase physical fitness and sports specific skills, develop new friendships, promote social inclusion among classmates, reinforce positive and healthy habits and provide opportunities to develop movement confidence and competence in a variety of physical activities.