Health & Physical Education Department

Health, Wellness, and Personal Conditioning 1
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 840
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 9
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, WCA, E, SS
HPE 840 is a dual-purpose Grade 9 course in which students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to design and execute their own personalized fitness conditioning program while exploring contemporary issues surrounding Nutrition, Personal Health, Mental Health, Personal Safety, Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, and Human Sexuality. Students will understand, compare and contrast, and then apply principles of Health and Wellness to develop decision-making skills, habits and attitudes that positively impact them physically, intellectually and socially/emotionally.

Lifetime Health, Wellness, and Recreation Skills 1
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 842
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 9
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, WCA, E, SS
HPE 842 is a dual purpose Grade 9 course designed to offer a fun, flexible menu of social and recreational skill development activities as chosen with students, and adjusted to their motivational levels and skill abilities.  This course puts particular emphasis on recreational and lifetime activities that prepare students for lifelong social recreation, healthy habits and healthy lifestyles,  while exploring contemporary issues surrounding Nutrition, Personal Health, Mental Health, Personal Safety, Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, and Human Sexuality.  Students will understand, compare and contrast, and then apply principles of Health and Wellness to develop decision-making skills, habits and attitudes that positively impact them physically, intellectually and socially/emotionally.  In addition, HPE 842 students will receive training in Community Responder Level First Aid, CPR, and AED management.

Health, Wellness, and Personal Conditioning 2
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 841
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 10
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, WCA, E, SS
HPE 841* is a dual-purpose Grade 10 course in which students refine the knowledge and skills necessary to design and execute their own personalized fitness conditioning program while exploring contemporary issues surrounding Nutrition, Personal Health, Mental Health, Personal Safety, Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, and Human Sexuality. Students will understand, compare and contrast, and then apply principles of Health and Wellness to apply decision-making skills, habits and attitudes that positively impact them physically, intellectually and socially/emotionally.

Lifetime Health, Wellness, and Recreation Skills 2
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 843
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 9
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, WCA, E, SS
HPE 843 is a dual purpose Grade 10 course designed to offer a fun, flexible menu of social and recreational skill development activities as chosen with students, and adjusted to their motivational levels and skill abilities.  This course puts particular emphasis on recreational and lifetime activities that prepare students for lifelong social recreation, healthy habits and healthy lifestyles,  while exploring contemporary issues surrounding Nutrition, Personal Health, Mental Health, Personal Safety, Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, and Human Sexuality.  Students will understand, compare and contrast, and then apply principles of Health and Wellness to practice decision-making skills, habits and attitudes that positively impact them physically, intellectually and socially/emotionally.

Independent Project for ACES/ATOMS/SOAR
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 844
Credits: 0.1
Grade: All Grades
Weight: ACE/ATOMS/SOAR
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS
Accommodation for HS Graduation Exclusive to ACES/ATOMS/SOAR students.  HPE 844 is designed to allow students enrolled in the ACES/ATOMS/SOAR programs to fulfill their Health and Physical Education Carnegie Unit graduation requirement without having to compromise scheduling of additional laboratory courses that they are required to take per program standards. This independent research project satisfies 0.1 Carnegie Units per semester, which may be applied to HPE 840 and/or HPE 842 ONLY. Projects will be established and agreed upon in advance and in writing through a collaboration between the student and the Health/Physical Education teacher that they report to for the remaining four days per week. Research project expectations will be in writing, contain a comprehensive grading rubric, and specify a timeline for completion in order to earn applicable credit.

Independent Project for ACES/ATOMS/SOAR
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 845
Credits: 0.1
Grade: All Grades
Weight: ACE/ATOMS/SOAR
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS
Accommodation for HS Graduation Exclusive to ACES/ATOMS/SOAR students.  HPE 845 is designed to allow students enrolled in the ACES/ATOMS/SOAR programs to fulfill their Health and Physical Education Carnegie Unit graduation requirement without having to compromise scheduling of additional laboratory courses that they are required to take per program standards. This independent research project satisfies 0.1 Carnegie Units per semester, which may be applied to HPE 841 and/or HPE 843 ONLY. Projects will be established and agreed upon in advance and in writing through a collaboration between the student and the Health/Physical Education teacher that they report to for the remaining four days per week. Research project expectations will be in writing, contain a comprehensive grading rubric, and specify a timeline for completion in order to earn applicable credit.

Women's Health and Wellness
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 846
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, SS
HPE 846 is designed to provide female students with opportunities to explore concepts in depth, analyze and solve real-life problems, and work cooperatively on tasks that develop and enhance their conceptual understanding of women’s health issues. It provides students with the knowledge and skills to lead to lifelong positive attitudes and behaviors related to health. The major goal of this course is the development of health literacy within four unifying concepts:

• Acceptance of personal responsibility, including responsibility for personal lifelong health, acceptance of the idea that the individual has some control over health, and incorporation of health-related knowledge into everyday behavior 

• Respect for and promotion of the health of others, including an understanding and acceptance of the influence of behavior on the health and well-being of others, of people on the environment, and of the environment on the health of groups and individuals 

• An understanding of the process of growth and development, including the importance of both universal and individual aspects of physical, mental, emotional, and social growth and development 

• Informed use of health-related information, products, and services, including the ability to select and use health-related information, products, and services carefully and wisely

The curriculum addresses these four unifying ideas with content from nine major areas of health education: Personal Health, Environmental Health, Consumer and Community Health, Family Living, Injury Prevention and Safety, Individual Growth and Development, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs, Communicable, Chronic Diseases, and Nutrition. 

Men's Health and Wellness
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 847
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, SS
HPE 847 is designed to provide male students with opportunities to explore concepts in depth, analyze and solve real-life problems, and work cooperatively on tasks that develop and enhance their conceptual understanding of women’s health issues. It provides students with the knowledge and skills to lead to lifelong positive attitudes and behaviors related to health. The major goal of this course is the development of health literacy within four unifying concepts: 

• Acceptance of personal responsibility, including responsibility for personal lifelong health, acceptance of the idea that the individual has some control over health, and incorporation of health-related knowledge into everyday behavior 

• Respect for and promotion of the health of others, including an understanding and acceptance of the influence of behavior on the health and well-being of others, of people on the environment, and of the environment on the health of groups and individuals 

• An understanding of the process of growth and development, including the importance of both universal and individual aspects of physical, mental, emotional, and social growth and development 

• Informed use of health-related information, products, and services, including the ability to select and use health-related information, products, and services carefully and wisely

The curriculum addresses these four unifying ideas with content from nine major areas of health education: Personal Health, Environmental Health, Consumer and Community Health, Family Living, Injury Prevention and Safety, Individual Growth and Development, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs, Communicable, Chronic Diseases, and Nutrition.

Sexual Health and Human Development
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 848
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, SS
HPE 848 is designed to provide students with opportunities to explore concepts in depth, analyze and solve real-life problems, and work cooperatively on tasks that develop and enhance their conceptual understanding of sexual and reproductive health issues. It provides students with the knowledge and skills to lead to lifelong positive attitudes and behaviors related to sex, relationships and reproductive health. The major goal of this course is the development of health literacy within four unifying concepts: 

• Acceptance of personal responsibility, including responsibility for personal lifelong reproductive health, acceptance of the idea that the individual has control over their own health, and incorporation of health-related knowledge into everyday behavioral choices, most notably choices in response to issues related to sexuality 

• Respect for and promotion of the health of self and others, including an understanding and recognition of the powerful influences of sexual behavior on the physical, mental and social/emotional health and well-being of oneself and others 

• An understanding of the process of growth and development, including the importance of both universal and individual aspects of physical, mental, emotional, and social growth and development throughout the life span from ‘in utero’ to advanced age 

• Informed use of health-related information, products, and services, including the ability to identify and carefully and wisely access health-related information, and services that are present in the Greater Waterbury community.

Positive Parenting for Healthy Child Development
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 849
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, SS
HPE 849 is designed to provide students with opportunities to examine real-life challenges while enhancing their conceptual understanding of healthy child development and effective parenting skills to find solutions to common problems. Particular focus will be attributed to (1) strengthening student understanding of the process of child cognitive, social and emotional growth and development from “in utero” to age six (6), and (2) guiding students to properly identify quality child health and wellness information, products and services,  as well as access parent support services present in the Greater Waterbury community. 

Professional Rescuer Level First Aid, CPR, and AED Response Skills
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 850
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, SS
HPE 850 is designed to offer the opportunity to participate in an American Red Cross approved course taught by a certified ARC Instructor and enable students to achieve Professional Rescuer level certification in First Aid, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for adults, children and infants and automated external defibrillator (AED) management. Students will acquire knowledge and pre-vocational skills in preparation for a wide variety of health-related careers. Particular emphasis will be placed on building students’ self-confidence as effective first responders to multi-hazard emergencies with the acquired information/skills to save lives, if necessary. Official ARC First Aid, Adult, Child and Infant CPR certification (optional) available on a fee basis.

Nutrition, Weight Management, & Human Performance
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 851
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, E, SS
HPE 851 is designed to offer students a highly specialized range of learning activities in order to promote healthy sports nutrition that meets the needs of athletic lifestyles. This course helps student-athletes develop effective natural techniques, strategies and eating habits that support personal conditioning leading to increased athletic performance and prescriptive weight management. Particular emphasis on the use of natural food diets and training techniques and student avoidance of performance-enhancing products and substances to ensure long-term health and safety will be pervasive in all aspects of this course. Interdisciplinary instruction focusing on developmentally appropriate literacy and numeracy skills embedded within Values and Character Education themes are integral instructional delivery systems for this elective. 

Sports Injury Management
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 852
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: WCA
HPE 852 is designed to offer students a specialized range of knowledge and treatment activities in order to promote personal fitness and help prevent/mitigate/treat/recover from sports injuries.  This course helps students develop effective natural techniques, strategies and habits for personal conditioning and nutrition that increase resistance to, and assist therapeutic management of, sports-related injuries. Particular emphasis on natural training and rehabilitation techniques will be pervasive in this course.

Team Sports Competition Skills
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 853
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, E, SS
HPE 852 is best suited to those students who are highly skilled and highly motivated to participate in interscholastic athletics and/or intramural / recreational sports leagues.  HPE 853 is designed to offer a physically demanding menu of sports skill development activities tailored to challenge athletes’ team sports skill abilities and heightened interest as well as motivational drive to advance.  This course puts particular emphasis on specific team sport skill development activities that prepare students for interscholastic competition. 

Basic Lifeguarding
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 854
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C
HPE 854 is designed to offer the opportunity to participate in an American Red Cross-approved course taught by a certified ARC Instructor and enable students to achieve certification in Basic Lifeguarding. Students will acquire knowledge and practice water rescue skills in preparation for employment as certified lifeguards in public and/or private aquatic recreational facilities including beaches, lakes, pools and water parks. Particular emphasis will be placed on building students’ self-confidence as effective first responders to water rescue emergencies with the acquired information/skills to save lives, if necessary. Official ARC Lifeguard certification (optional) available on a fee basis.

Advanced Basketball
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 855
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, E, SS
HPE 855 is designed to offer students a highly specialized range of competitive basketball skill development activities in order to promote participation in interscholastic and/or competitive athletics.  Students will acquire knowledge and practice fundamental to advanced skills of the game of basketball.  This course provides effective strategies for personal conditioning and skill development drills in preparation for game play, includes direct instruction on the official NAIA basketball rule book,  and promotes participation both within school, and throughout the wider community in recreational basketball opportunities. 

Unified Physical Education
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 856
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS
HPE 856 Unified Physical Education is a special, half year course offering for selected juniors or seniors that extends the Unified Sports model into the instructional setting. This course is designed for those students looking to extend themselves to others of 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 junior/senior class students with athletes with special needs in an environment of learning, collaboration and fun. Students will be expected to collaboratively design and carry out modifications to activities and work with a partner on providing assistance to an athlete with special needs. Course enrollment for regular education students is restricted to juniors and seniors in good academic standing. 

Resistance Training and Body Shaping
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 857
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS
HPE 857 is designed to offer students a highly specialized range of conditioning and body shaping development activities in order to promote personal conditioning. Students will acquire knowledge and practice fundamental to advanced skills for safe and effective weight training as well as proper nutrition.  This course helps students develop effective natural techniques, strategies and habits for personal conditioning leading to increased strength, muscle mass, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, core development, increased speed and agility and prescriptive weight management. Particular emphasis on the use of natural training techniques and student avoidance of performance-enhancing products and substances to ensure long-term health and safety will be pervasive in all aspects of this course. Resistance training is a key component to developing and maintaining physical fitness over one’s lifespan. This course is designed for those students who have a strong interest in increasing their skills, knowledge and understanding related to developing and instituting a personal resistance training program. Assessments will focus on students’ understanding of physiological responses to a variety of training modes and will monitor their ability to create, execute and sustain a personalized training program. 

Explorations in Dance
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 858
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS
HPE 858 is designed to offer students fun and social rhythm and dance activities designed for increased cardiovascular endurance, balance and heart-healthy weight management. The benefits of aerobic dance include increased cardiopulmonary efficiency, strengthened heart and lungs, improved circulation, lowered cholesterol levels, and stress and anxiety reduction.
Dance can be seen as exercise, a conduit for self-expression or as 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. Students will explore dance forms including, but not limited to: Ballroom, Swing, Hip Hop, Salsa, Samba, Western Line, Contemporary, and Breakdancing as well as exploring other dance styles originating within a variety of ethnic cultures that express the movement aesthetics of that culture. Students will work to improve individual competence, analyze performance in self and others using video, as well as peer coaching. Assessments will afford students the opportunity to create and perform short sequences of dance in a variety of styles.
Learning activities may include varied forms of aerobics including low-impact, swim and other water aerobics and body sculpting techniques; however, rhythm and dance will be the predominant engagement forms. Essentially workouts set to music, a typical dance class may begin with several minutes of warm-ups and stretching, peak with 20-30 minutes of dancing and end with several minutes of cool-down and stretching.

Introduction to Mindfulness, Yoga, & Aerobic Exercise
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 860
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, E, SS
HPE 860 is designed to offer students a specialized course of study in one of the oldest holistic healthcare systems in existence. Originally founded in India, the Sanskrit word yoga literally means 'union.' The intent of yoga is to form a vibrant connection between body, mind and spirit, creating a lasting, integrative wellness program that one can continue to cultivate throughout their lifetime. Historically, Yoga has been practiced world-wide for its health, wellness and healing benefits.  Yoga practices consist of physical postures called asanas, breathing exercises called pranayama, and elements of meditation and self-reflection.  Yoga offers a comprehensive, disciplined approach to self-study that cultivates wellness by combining meditative reflection with a physical workout, thereby improving strength, flexibility, balance and endurance, as well as mental wellness. This holistic combination of physical, cognitive and affective disciplines has been known to reduce tension, anxiety, and emotional reactivity in adolescents.   Yoga and aerobic exercise are key components to developing and maintaining physical fitness over one’s lifespan.  This course is designed for those students who have a strong interest in increasing their skills, knowledge and understanding related to developing and instituting a personal fitness program that utilizes aerobic exercise and mindfulness. Assessments will focus on students understanding the physiological response to a variety of training modes and their ability to create, execute and monitor a personal program.  

Football and Soccer Officiating
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 861
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS
HPE 861 is designed to offer students a highly specialized course of study that prepares students to become qualified game officials for interscholastic and/or recreational soccer and football games. Students will acquire thorough knowledge of the rules of soccer and football. They will then practice officiating skills and rule interpretations in authentic ways through simulated games in preparation for employment as recreational soccer and football officials. Particular emphasis will be placed on building students’ self-confidence as effective managers of athletic contests with the acquired information/skills to enforce fair, safe play through accurate administration of the rules and fidelity to standards of conduct that display respect for all participants.

Baseball and Softball Umpiring
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 862
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS
HPE 862 is designed to offer students a highly specialized course of study that prepares students to become qualified umpires for interscholastic and/or recreational baseball or softball games. Students will acquire thorough knowledge of the rules of baseball and softball. They will then practice umpiring skills and apply rule interpretations in authentic ways through simulated games in preparation for employment as recreational baseball/softball umpires. Particular emphasis will be placed on building students’ self-confidence as effective managers of athletic contests with the acquired information/skills to enforce fair, safe play through accurate administration of the rules and fidelity to standards of conduct that display respect for all participants. 

Basketball and Volleyball Officiating * (PW)
Physical Wellness
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS
HPE 863 is designed to offer students a highly specialized course of study that prepares students to become qualified game officials for interscholastic and/or recreational basketball and volleyball games. Students will acquire thorough knowledge of the rules of basketball and volleyball. They will then practice officiating skills and apply rule interpretations in authentic ways through simulated games in preparation for employment as recreational basketball and volleyball officials. Particular emphasis will be placed on building students’ self-confidence as effective managers of athletic contests with the acquired information/skills to enforce fair, safe play through accurate administration of the rules and fidelity to standards of conduct that display respect for all participants.

Cooperative, Outdoor, & Project Adventure Studies
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 864
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, E
HPE 864 is designed to offer students challenging and fun team-building activities to help them learn that individuals are usually more capable (mentally, emotionally, and physically) than they perceive themselves to be, and if given the chance to overcome challenges in a supportive atmosphere, they can discover excellence within themselves. This course guides students to develop an increased familiarity and identification with the natural world, to increase participants’ sense of personal confidence, levels of agility and physical coordination, joy in one’s physical self and the ability to both offer and accept mutual support within a group to accomplish things they may have never imagined doing. Particular emphasis on cooperative rather than competitive learning tasks will be pervasive in this course.

Game Play: Invasion, Net, and Field Games
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 865
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS, E, SS
HPE 865 offers students a course of study that recognizes that games are a ubiquitous element of our society and come in many forms.  It is designed for those students who have a strong interest in increasing their skills, knowledge and tactical understanding of invasion, net and field type 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 using video of high level game play to develop the student’s ability to analyze common tactics and strategies as well as the comparison use of video to analyze one’s own performance or the performance of one’s team. 

Unified Sports
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 866
Credits: 0.5
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WAMS
HPE 866 is designed to offer students with physical and/or cognitive disabilities and non-disabled peers to work together and mutually engage in a wide range of competition sports skill activities that promote lifelong participation in athletic and fitness-related pursuits.  Students will acquire knowledge and skills for a variety of modified sports and games, including Unified Sports rules, strategies and opportunities both within and outside school in order to compete in Unified Sports events. Course enrollment for regular education students is restricted to juniors and seniors in good academic standing.

Exercise and Wellness for Everyone: UCONN
Physical Wellness
Course Code: 845U
Credits: 0.5
Weight: AP/Post Secondary
Schools: WAMS
Prerequisites: HPE 840, HPE 841, HPE 842, HPE 843
This UConn ECE course provides an overview of the five pillars of health (exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress and relationships), specifically emphasizing the role that exercise plays in health promotion and disease prevention across the lifespan by presenting the impacts of exercise in multiple domains including leisure time, culture, community, careers, and the workplace.

By the end of this UConn ECE semester course, students will:

• Summarize the five pillars of health (exercise, stress, sleep, nutrition, and relationships), using relevant statistics on trends, incidence and prevalence to understand the role that each plays in health and disease in the United States and world.

• Identify common tools for assessing and measuring health in each domain, using validated surveys, phone apps, online assessments, and accepted measurement techniques

• Present student self-evaluations of individual performance in the five pillars of health, identifying potential areas of improvement and strategies for optimizing health in each domain

• Describe the current American College of Sports Medicine and United States Department of Agriculture recommended exercise and dietary guidelines, considering the risks, benefits and adequacy of these guidelines for the general population as well as athletes

• Translate the phrase “Exercise is Medicine” into clinical knowledge, understanding the comprehensive role of exercise in treating and preventing disease as well as optimizing health

• Explain the barriers to using exercise as preventive medicine, focusing on factors such as environment, behavior, government policy, social support, culture and socioeconomic status

• Discuss a variety of strategies and considerations for using exercise as a prescription for health and disease, focusing specifically on the role of exercise in the U.S. Healthcare System, as an anti-aging strategy, in work-life balance, in careers of health and wellness, and in the workplace.