What is Honors Gym?
Honors PE, or High-Performance PE, is an upcoming program at Wayne Valley that allows students to participate more competitively in their gym class. This class will spotlight team sports rather than individual skill building, and there will be regular tournaments. To gain Honors credit for this class, a student must perform community service, projects, and earn badges for different activities. Community service must be athletic-based; some examples consist of coaching a youth program, offering lessons, helping with an elementary school’s field day, a Wellness Fair presentation, and much more. Additionally, badges can be collected for a large variety of skills such as hiking, making a healthy meal, and participating in a yoga class. A majority of the classwork will be involved in athletics. For any interested students, this class will be introduced in September 2025.
What Criteria Must I Meet to Take This Class?
Many students have taken tests in their gym periods to test their ability in different athletics. Depending on the results of the skills tests, there is a corresponding rubric that acknowledges students who perform at higher levels. Only around 25 students will be allowed to take this course per period, and all gym teachers can teach this curriculum. Specific criteria needed to take this class are a passing score on all six skill assessments, a write-up on why they belong in the program, a letter of recommendation from a previous PE teacher, a 91% average in their last year of PE, and parental consent. With all of these requirements, a student is permitted to take the class if they wish. Despite popular rumors, there are no current qualifications that require running a mile.
What Other Options are Available for PE?
In addition to High-Performance PE, there will also be a general PE class and a new Wellness class. The general PE class is consistent with what PE currently is at Valley. The Wellness class will focus on an individual’s health and fitness journey with a special focus on endurance, strength, and flexibility.
