Health, Physical Education, & Wellness

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 ASPIRE course is an advanced, project-based course where students engage in an in-depth, analytical exploration of the complex principles of nutrition and its profound influence on longevity, the brain, the body, culture, and learning. Moving beyond basic dietary guidelines, students will critically analyze social, economic, and cultural influences on diets, examining challenges like food deserts and the impact of systemic factors on nutritional equity. The ASPIRE structure allows each student to choose their own driving question around food and nutrition to explore in depth throughout the semester, culminating in the design and presentation of a final exhibition of learning that showcases  the VOGC in their research, critical analysis, and evidence-based solutions for themselves and the broader community. This course is ideal for students seeking a final, comprehensive deep-dive into the field of wellness, or those planning careers in public health, nutrition, education, or policy. 

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 ½ credit PE & Wellness Grade 11, 12

This ASPIRE course is an advanced, project-based course where students engage in an in-depth, analytical exploration of the complex principles of nutrition and its profound influence on longevity, the brain, the body, culture, and learning. Moving beyond basic dietary guidelines, students will critically analyze social, economic, and cultural influences on diets, examining challenges like food deserts and the impact of systemic factors on nutritional equity. The ASPIRE structure allows each student to choose their own driving question around food and nutrition to explore in depth throughout the semester, culminating in the design and presentation of a final exhibition of learning that showcases the VOGC in their research, critical analysis, and evidence-based solutions for themselves and the broader community. This course is ideal for students seeking a final, comprehensive deep-dive into the field of wellness, or those planning careers in public health, nutrition, education, or policy. 

Half-year course College Prep ½ credit PE & Wellness Grade 12

This course provides students with the essential knowledge and practical skills to confidently begin and excel at strength training. Students will master the fundamental movements and proper form  while applying personal SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) for fitness. A core focus is understanding and safely applying the science of progressive overload, the key mechanism for building strength and muscle. Emphasizing hands-on application, students will learn to design, execute, and monitor a personalized strength and conditioning program tailored to their individual needs and SMART goals. The course includes assessments focused on application and understanding the physiological responses to various training modes. This class will enhance learning for students interested in pursuing a personal training certification or career in the fitness industry.  Building and maintaining muscle is a key component of developing and maintaining physical fitness throughout one's lifespan. 

Half-year course College Prep ½ credit PE & Wellness Grade 12

Connected in Motion 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.