Physical Education & Health

The 9-12 Comprehensive Health and Physical Education program provides diverse learning opportunities to Hillsborough High School students that cover the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Health and Physical Education. The standards cover wellness, personal and interpersonal skills, drugs and medicines, human relationships and sexuality, motor skill development, and fitness. The program provides both mandatory health and physical education classes for students to develop important lifelong skills and knowledge and elective programs that allow students to explore new activities or participate in sports they love.

Every student must complete a year of Health and Physical Education for every year they are enrolled at Hillsborough High School. Each year students will be scheduled for one marking period of Health or Driver Mathematics Physical Education & Health Education, one marking period of a specific grade level Physical Education course, and two marking periods of elective activities. The list of elective offerings is extensive and constantly being updated and include team sports, fitness activities and individual sports.

Health Courses

Health 9 – Interpersonal Skills & Decision- Making and Human Relationships 1

Through the study of physical, emotional and social growth, the students develop a better understanding of interpersonal skills, decision-making and human sexuality. Topics such as drugs and alcohol, peer pressure, self-understanding, love, dating, anatomy and birth control are discussed to create a stronger, more knowledgeable foundation to aid in rational decision-making and the forming of healthy relationships.

Health 10 – Driver Education

This course teaches the basic fundamental knowledge about safe driving. Emphasis is placed on state laws regulating driving, road courtesy and the development of sound defensive driving techniques. At the end of the course students will take the State of New Jersey Knowledge Test on traffic laws, rules and regulations.

Health 11 – CPR & First Aid, Nutrition and Stress, Mental Health & Addiction

Through the basic principles of First Aid, students learn how to exercise reasonable caution in life’s activities, as well as how to help the sick and injured. Every student also learns the proper techniques in administering CPR and practices on a Rescue Anne. Students will also study about nutrition, stress, mental health and addiction. The Stress, Mental Health and Addiction unit focuses on coping with stress, addressing mental health concerns and the prevention and treatment of substance abuse problems. Students will be asked to create policies designed to address these serious societal concerns.

Health 12 – Personal Growth & Adult Health and Human Relationships 2

Students will examine various personality profiles and best determine which category best fits their behavior. They will discuss living independently of their families in situations such as college dorms or their own apartments and developing healthy relationships and family lives. Current topics involving dating, family relationships, trends in social behaviors and health care will also be discussed.

New Jersey Family Life Education Law states, “any pupil, whose parent or guardian presents to the school principal a signed statement that any part of the instruction in family life education is in conflict with his/her conscience, or sincerely held moral or religious beliefs, shall be excused from that portion of the course where such instruction is being given and no penalties as to credit or graduation shall result therefrom.” In order for a student to be excused as per the state law, the parent or guardian must present a written, signed statement to the Health and Physical Education Supervisor explaining how instruction in health, safety, family life education, or sex education is in conflict with the family’s conscience or sincerely held moral or religious beliefs. After receipt of this letter, the school may contact the parent or guardian to discuss the concerns or provide clarity on the curriculum. Upon approval the student will be scheduled into a Physical Education activity for the duration of the family life unit.

Physical Education Courses

Physical Education 9 – Introduction to Physical Education

This course will lay the foundations for personal wellness and prepare students for their high school Physical Education experience through three units: Introduction to Fitness, Team Activities, and Dance. Students will be exposed to the basics of personal fitness, be introduced to many of our elective team activities, and learn the basics of dance and other rhythmic activities.

Physical Education 10 - Adventure Challenge

Students will learn the value of teamwork and collaboration while also challenging themselves to go outside their comfort level to climb various obstacles. This will be accomplished as students in the class work together to complete various team-building activities and challenges and climb and navigate our rock wall and high ropes course.

Physical Education 11 – Fitness through Global Sports and Non-Traditional Games

The goal of this course is to expose students to a variety of new global sports and non-traditional games to provide alternative ways for students to stay active.

Physical Education 12 – Lifelong Fitness

In this course, students will explore various lifelong activities such as golf, tennis and dance while continuing to learn and practice personal fitness. At the end of the course, each student will design a personalized, lifelong fitness plan to achieve a specific wellness goal. This will help prepare students to be active throughout their entire lives.