Health and Physical Education play a vital role in fostering overall wellness within our educational program, working together to empower each student's journey toward holistic health and well-being. Our courses focus on developing competence, confidence, and persistence through movement, inspiring students to engage in lifelong physical activity and discover the joy of being active.
Designed to enhance health literacy, our classes equip students with the skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary to make informed choices for a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Aligned with the Farmington Public Schools' “Vision of the Global Citizen,” our wellness curriculum encourages students to explore the connections between physical, emotional, and cognitive health. By focusing on their personal wellness journeys and fostering autonomy, students will gain the tools to navigate the challenges of maintaining a healthy, balanced life.
Athletic Coach Athletic Trainer
Camp Director Chiropractor
Occupational Therapist Physical Fitness Instructor
Personal Trainer Recreation Leader
Practical or Registered Nurse Physical Therapist/Sports Medicine
X-ray Technician Public Health Educator
School Health Educator Physical Education Teacher
Sports Management Sports Reporter
Occupational Safety Instructor Occupational Therapist
Public Health Engineer Registered Dietician
Para Sports and Fitness Activities Dir. – School/Senior Center
Standard #1: Motor Skill Performance: Students will demonstrate competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities.
Standard #2: Personal Responsibility: Students will exhibit responsible behavior and self-management that maintains and enhances wellness.
Standard #3: Accessing Wellness Information: Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid wellness information as well as school and community resources.
Standard #4: Analyzing Internal and External Influences: Students will analyze the influence of culture, media, technology, peers and other factors on wellness.
Standard #5: Wellness Core Concepts: Students will comprehend concepts and develop a knowledge base related to health promotion and disease prevention.
Standard #6: Goal Setting: Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze personal data, make decisions, set goals and to create action plans in order to enhance wellness.
Standard #7: Interpersonal Communication: Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication to enhance personal, family and community wellness.
Standard #8: Decision Making: Students will demonstrate the ability to make health enhancing decisions based on accepted health information.
Standard #9: Advocacy: Students will demonstrate ways to influence and support others to make positive wellness choices.
Standard #10: Self-Management: Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks.
Courses that meet the departmental graduation requirement of 2 Credits:
Wellness 9: Health Education (Required-Quarter)
Wellness 9: Physical Education (Required-Quarter)
Wellness 10: Health Education (Required-Quarter)
Wellness 10: Physical Education (Required-Quarter)
Wellness 11: Personal Wellness (Required-Semester)
Physical Activity Selective Program (Required – Semester)
Yoga and Group Fitness (Semester)
Game Play: Invasion, Net and Field Games (Semester)
Social Dance (Semester)
Principles of Fitness & Personal Training (Semester)
Unified Physical Education (Semester)
Half-year course College Prep 1/2 credit Health & Safety Education and PE & Wellness Grade 9
Wellness 9 is a semester-long course with a combination of health and physical education. This standards-based Health and Physical Education course is designed to equip students with essential health skills and knowledge for lifelong wellness. Through an integrated curriculum, students will explore core concepts related to healthy lifestyle choices and behaviors, including accessing valid information, decision-making, analyzing influences, personal responsibility, and advocacy.
Students will engage in a variety of physical activities that promote self-expression, personal responsibility and accountability, while developing motor skills and understanding movement concepts. Emphasis will be placed on skill development, rules, and etiquette, fostering a positive and inclusive environment. This course empowers students to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to maintain healthy behaviors that enhance their well-being throughout their lives.
Half-year course College Prep 1/2 credit Health & Safety Education and PE & Wellness Grade 10
Wellness 10 is a semester-long course with a combination of health and physical education. This course provides a standards-based framework for understanding the influences on personal behavior and overall wellness. Students will analyze influences on both societal and biological factors that impact individual wellness, with a particular emphasis on advocacy, mental health, accessing valid local resources, and the components of healthy relationships.
The course aims to enhance motor skills and content knowledge through a comprehensive program that encourages goal setting and personal responsibility. Students will engage in fitness activities that involve collecting and analyzing personal data to create individualized fitness plans, while also learning about safety concepts and lifetime activities. Additionally, students will receive instruction in First Aid and CPR, equipping them with essential skills to respond to emergencies. This course empowers students to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to maintain healthy behaviors that enhance their well-being throughout their lives.
Half-year course College Prep 1/2 credit Health & Safety Education and PE & Wellness Grade 11
This semester-long course combines classroom learning with physical activities, emphasizing self-direction and resourcefulness. Students will work together as engaged collaborators as they explore topics related to behavior change, goal setting, and the key influences on sleep, movement, and nutrition, optimizing these factors for overall wellness.
The course incorporates Tuckman's model of collaborative teaming, fostering civic-mindedness as students work together in both classroom and physical activity settings. The culminating project, a Personal Improvement Plan, centers on a personal SMART goal that students will implement, track, and reflect on over a four-week period. This course is designed to empower students as engaged collaborators and contributors to their own health and the well-being of their communities.
Half-year course ½ credit 1 semester Grades 11, 12
Learn what it takes to be an effective coach: philosophy, strategy, communication, planning and organization. Explore and discover how to effectively inspire and motivate athletes, improve the social-emotional wellbeing of athletes, develop sound training programs and how to inform athletes about the principles of fitness. Students will engage in an inquiry project to utilize the skills learned in this class to coach others in an area of personal interest, such as a local youth team. Students will also have the opportunity to become CPR/First Aid/AED certified. The final product from this class will be showcased as part of each student’s VOGC Exhibition of Learning.
Half-year course ½ credit 1 semester Grades 11, 12
Socio-cultural, economic, political, and other related issues in sport. Sport as a social institution, the impact of sport in American culture, and the impact of American culture on sport. Sport at the youth, intercollegiate, professional, and international levels; how sport at these levels is experienced differently by individuals, communities, organizations, and society. Issues in sport relative to gender, race (ethnicity), differing physical and intellectual ability, sexual identity, and gender identity. The product of this course will be showcased as part of each student’s VOGC Exhibition of Learning.
Half-year course College Prep ½ credit PE & Wellness Grades 11,12
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the principles of nutrition, focusing on the crucial role that diet plays in supporting overall health, preventing chronic disease, and optimizing physical and mental performance. Students will gain a thorough understanding of how macronutrients and dietary guidelines impact our nutrition on the body’s systems, with an emphasis on holistic diets, whole foods, and key nutrients. Through this course, students will gain the knowledge and practical skills to make informed dietary choices, promote balanced nutrition for themselves and others, and understand the deep connection between what we eat and how we feel and perform. Ideal for those interested in health, wellness, or pursuing careers in nutrition, dietetics, or personal fitness.
Selective Wellness courses are offered for one semester and allow senior students choice in a movement environment that they wish to explore in greater depth.
Each course features an authentic summative assessment and encourages collaboration among students through projects and performances. Additionally, each course offers a variety of transition lessons, which engages students in lessons focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle beyond high school.
Seniors are required to complete one semester of Senior Physical Education and Wellness to fulfill the department’s two-credit graduation requirement.
Half-year course College Prep ½ credit PE & Wellness Grade 12
This course is where physical fitness, social-emotional learning, and mindfulness converge in an uplifting and interactive environment. This dynamic class offers a diverse array of activities, including Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, body pump/circuit training, aerobics, barre, kickboxing, and HIIT workouts, each tailored to enhance cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and overall wellness.
Incorporating yoga concepts, students will explore mindfulness practices and the importance of breath awareness, fostering emotional intelligence and resilience. Participants will have the unique opportunity to design and lead their own yoga routines and fitness classes, promoting creativity and leadership skills. As students teach their peers new skills and fitness routines, they will also learn the value of teamwork and communication. This class promotes physical fitness but also cultivates a lifelong commitment to health, wellness, and personal growth. This course also offers the opportunity to pursue a group fitness certification. This is a physical education/wellness class.
Half-year course College Prep ½ credit PE & Wellness Grade 12
Dance can be seen as exercise, a conduit for self-expression or a form of social communication. This course is designed for those students who have a strong interest in increasing their skills and knowledge related to a wide range of dance forms including: ballroom, line dance, square dance and/or ethnic dance. Students will explore dance forms including: the Waltz, Fox Trot, Swing, Salsa, as well as Traditional and Western line dance. Students will work to improve individual competence, analyze performance in self and others using video, as well as peer coach. Assessments will afford students the opportunity to create and perform short sequences of dance in a variety of styles. This is a physical education/wellness class.
Half-year course College Prep ½ credit PE & Wellness Grade 12
Games are a ubiquitous element of our society and come in many forms. This course is designed for those students who have a strong interest in increasing their skills, knowledge and tactical understanding of invasion, net and fielding games. Instruction will center on game play in traditional and novel games, each designed to highlight particular skills, tactics and strategies. Assessments will focus on analyzing personal performance, team performance and high level game play to develop the student’s ability to understand common tactics and strategies. This is a physical education/wellness class.
Half-year course College Prep ½ credit PE & Wellness Grade 12
This comprehensive course is designed for students with an interest in developing and enhancing their skills, knowledge and form in fitness and resistance training. It focuses on building the foundations of strength training, guiding students to effectively integrate resistance training, functional fitness, nutrition, weight training periodization, and conditioning into their daily lives. It includes assessments that emphasize understanding the physiological responses to various training modes. Students will learn to create, execute, and monitor various personal training programs and create programs for authentic audiences. Building muscle is a key component of developing and maintaining physical fitness throughout one’s lifespan. This course also offers the opportunity to pursue a personal training certification. This is a physical education/wellness class.
Half-year course College Prep ½ credit PE & Wellness Grade 12
Unified Physical Education is a special course offering for selected seniors that extends the Unified Sports model into the instructional setting. This course is designed for those students looking to extend themselves to others for varying abilities and mobility, as well as provide peer coaching and an opportunity for socialization and inclusion in a physical activity setting. This course brings together senior class students with students with special needs in an environment of learning, collaboration, and fun. Senior class students will be expected to help design and carry out modifications to activities and work with a partner on providing assistance to an athlete with special needs. This is a physical education/wellness class.