Physical education (PE) is an athlete’s time to shine. After a long day of sitting around and listening to lectures, PE is a student’s opportunity to unleash their energy and get competitive with their friends. Whether it’s Competitive Team Games, Personal Fitness, or Yoga, PE is a favorite of many students.
Students at Lexington High School taking performing arts (such as orchestra, band, and chorus) are exempt from taking fine arts credits. However, this is not the same case for student-athletes in LHS sports, as they are still required to take PE. This raises some questions: should our school have the same policy for athletes? Should LHS athletes also be exempt from taking PE classes during school? Although it may not seem fair to athletes, PE should remain a requirement for all students.
Unlike band, orchestra, and chorus classes which have designated blocks during school, LHS athletics are entirely after-school activities.
In addition, most student-athletes don’t mind having both PE and athletics after school. In fact, some view PE as an opportunity to learn new sports outside of what they normally do.
“I think [PE] is fine because they’re different skills. You learn all sorts of fun things during PE, like badminton or personal fitness,” Trevor Stevens, a track athlete at LHS, said.
Many student-athletes seem to love sports in general, so they tend to view their PE classes as something to look forward to, not an additional burden. Even if a student-athlete does not enjoy PE or is physically exhausted from their sport, there are many other options to choose from that require less physical movement.
“If you didn’t like [rigorous] PE you could also choose CPR, yoga, and other courses,” Allyson Lin, a lacrosse player at LHS, said.
However, while many athletes may enjoy their PE classes, upperclassmen may appreciate not having to take PE if it means more free blocks. Many upperclassmen could use the extra time for something more productive, like college applications.
“If you’re a senior and have frees, you can do college stuff,” James Joseph, a track athlete in his senior year, said.
Additionally, many student-athletes don’t play all-season sports; most only play one season. This means that they don’t have after-school sports for the entire year.
“This year, I’m a one-season athlete, but last year I was in two. Now, I don’t play sports all year round, unlike how the orchestra and band people have it all year round,” Lin said.
Despite factors such as season length, schoolwork,college, and even the sheer physical stamina required to endure the school day and after-school sports combined, most student-athletes seem to enjoy having their PE block. Thus, the current policy should be kept the same.
“You never know what’s gonna come up in an exciting PE class, but your sport is always the same,” Stevens said.
