Finding the Right Fit

Knowing which elective PE class is right for you

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Charlie Rosser

Taking a Swing: Seniors Jayden Jones (left) and Cameron Hill (right)play badminton in their seventh hour Net Sports class. “The three main sports we cover are badminton, volleyball, and tennis. We also play pickleball,” Coach Jennifer Denny, who teachers the class, said.

Up until high school, most physical education classes look fairly similar – repetitive stretch and warm-up routines,  rotations of different sports , the dreaded running of the mile every so often, and sporadic games of dodgeball sprinkled in throughout the school year. However, after students fulfill their freshman PE requirements, there is much more freedom to choose the content of your class. Whether you’re trying to find a laid-back class to obtain your second half credit for graduation or you’re looking to be challenged, FHC has a class that can satisfy your needs.

Fitness for Life

Coach Jennifer Denny teaches Fitness for Life, which focuses on giving students the tools and resources they need to stay fit in the midst of everyday life. The class includes learning how to access free workout plans online via YouTube and other resources, as well as workouts such as walking through Cottleville or playing Just Dance.

Senior Kylie Brown enjoys Fitness for Life because of the fun she has with her classmates, particularly while playing Just Dance. 

“You get your energy out, and it’s funny,” Brown said.

Coach Denny recommends this class to any student looking for a way to stay fit and wanting to be able to develop simple consistent skills for lifelong health and wellbeing in a personally challenging yet laid-back environment.

Teen Health and Wellness 

Teen Health and Wellness, taught by Coach Malach Radigan, is a health class based on the mental and emotional wellbeing of students. Focusing on helping students discover who they are and who they want to be through introspection and reflection on their life, it helps students learn healthy coping techniques for mental, emotional, and social struggles. 

The class also is not structured in the way that the mandatory freshman health course is.

“It’s not your typical class, so a lot of it is conversational, reflection-based, project-based, in regards of learning who you are and things like that,” Radigan said.

Radigan recommends this class to all students willing to do work to grow in their health not only physically but also emotionally, socially, and mentally.

Advanced Weight Training

Taught by Coach Radigan, this class features a more in-depth approach that builds off of the information and concepts taught in Introduction to Weight Training. In this class, students will take a baseline test and have a personalized workout plan based on their own abilities. 

“There’s a lot of autonomy in the class,” Coach Radigan says. “They get to create their own workouts so it’s really cool to see kids growing… and watching their hard work pay off.”

Coach Radigan recommends this class to students who want to become more physically fit, have a stress reliever during the day, and learn what it looks like to have a healthy, consistent workout.  

One of the biggest reasons the class helps so much is because Radigan pushes you to do the work and try hard.

— Phoebe Kemper

Sports Enhancement

This class is taught by Coach Radigan and focuses on helping students improve and grow their athletic abilities. Sports Enhancement is perfect for students who have specific athletic-based goals, such as being able to make varsity teams or play a sport in college. Similar to Advanced Weight Training, the workouts and activities students participate in during class will be geared toward their own abilities to challenge the student to improve.

Senior Phoebe Kemper recommends Sports Enhancement to others and notes how it has helped her grow.

“One of the biggest reasons the class helps so much is because Radigan pushes you to do the work and try hard,” Kemper said. “And it just makes you a better athlete, honestly, by the end of the year.”

Net Sports

In this class taught by Coach  Denny, students will participate in team, net-based sports including tennis, volleyball, and badminton. This class allows students to enjoy sports in a laid-back environment that encourages them to improve and grow.

Junior Sam Deuser, who is currently enrolled in the class for the second time, highly recommends the class to other students.

“It’s really fun and it’s relaxed and it gets your energy out,” Deuser said. “It’s really fun sports that we play.”