Guide to Sophomore Gym Electives
Melanie Ascoli
Staff Writer
[email protected]
Sophomores are offered a variety of different P.E electives at CVHS. There are five different health and fitness courses sophomores are eligible to take. The different classes teach a variety of skills and it is important to evaluate which class will be best for the individual learner.
After taking Fitness 1/ Wellness 1 freshman year, all students have the opportunity to choose between the five gym classes available. Each class either takes up one entire semester, or students attend the class every other day for the entire year. Every class is worth .5 credits. These credits are required for graduation. While taking a gym elective is required, it can still be enjoyable.
Net/Racquet Games is one of the most popular choices. This course allows students to participate in a wide variety of sports involving nets and racquets, as the title suggests. A lot of the sports played are ones not typically played in a normal gym class like badminton and pickleball.
Learning these sports can help expand a student's knowledge of athletic activities and they may be able to find a new sport you enjoy playing. Sophomore Xandy Oswald said, “Net and Racquet is really fun because you get to interact with different types of people in more nontraditional sports.”
Another popular class is Team Sports. Team Sports appeals to a lot of athletes or people just looking for an introduction to multiple sports. Different from net and racquet games, Team Sports deals with more competitive and hands on sports like soccer, lacrosse, and basketball. Students also get to go into the pool for a short period of time to learn water polo. Students get to learn how to play the sports, strategies, and different athletic skills that encompass all sports.
Movement Exploration is a great option that many students turn to. Movement Exploration is for students who are not into sports, but still want to get their body moving. Movement Exploration is a very hands-on course that tackles activities like dance, progressive relaxation, and yoga. Movement Exploration not only benefits the body, but it is also strengthens the mind. Sophomore Anna Barberio said that Movement Exploration has a “constant relaxing environment.”
American Red Cross Adult & Pediatric/CPR/AED Certification is one of the most practical and useful courses CV has to offer. This course is mainly suggested for students who want to go into the health science or medical fields for college, though the course is available to anybody from tenth to twelfth grade.
The focus of the course is first aid in emergency situations and patient care in general. A large part of this course is an opportunity to get a Red Cross CPR certification. This certification enables students to work at campsites or pools. The class is offered without the certification and still provides students with information for what to do in life threatening situations. “The course is actually so fun but it’s also really useful because now I'm certified and it will look good on job applications and can help others,” said Sophomore Ellie Garcia.
Lifeguard Certification is similar to the American Red Cross Certification in that the courses deal with CPR training, first aid situations, and injury prevention and recognition. Lifeguard Certification does differ though, in that most of the time in class is spent in the water. While the course also provides information on land emergencies, the primary focus is rescue skills in the water and lifeguarding responsibilities. The course also offers American Red Cross Lifeguarding certification, which enables students to work as lifeguards and help prevent water related injuries.
Though the gym elective only takes up one semester of the year, choosing one is still an important choice. There are a variety of options available for every different type of student. Gym electives are a great way to meet new people who are interested in the same things, as well as learn new sports and types of physical activities.