Student Interest Grows in Personal Fitness Course

Huntington High School’s second year Personal Fitness course has grown to 12 separate sections for 2025/26 and it appears to be well on its way to meeting the needs and interests of the students who have enrolled in it.

Five sections of the course are taught daily by Alex Nelson with a sixth section being taught by Christopher Taylor. The course utilizes the high school’s weight and cardio room as well as the rig room, fitness room, main gym and outdoor facilities. The department strives to keep class sizes to about 25 students to allow for full participation throughout each period.

“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,” reads the course description. “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.”

Mr. Nelson has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2017. A graduate of Smithtown High School East, he obtained his undergraduate degree at Adelphi University, where he dual majored in physical education and accounting. He earned a master’s degree in coaching and exercise science at Concordia University Irvine in California.

Licensed by Eastern New York Youth Soccer as a professional soccer trainer working for Long Island Professional Soccer, Mr. Nelson has coached middle school and JV soccer and middle school basketball and is the founding coach of Huntington varsity boys’ and girls’ badminton teams. He trains travel soccer teams for the Long Island Junior Soccer League.

Mr. Taylor has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 1996. A graduate of Port Richmond High School in Staten Island, he obtained an undergraduate degree at CUNY-Queens College and a master’s degree at Hofstra University.

Mr. Taylor has coached high school bowling, track and field, football and lacrosse and middle school basketball, wrestling, volleyball and track and field. He helped coach the girls’ lacrosse team to Suffolk and Long Island championships in 2025 and he has won county and Long Island football championships while coaching outside of the district.