Ask any MHS upperclassman what comes to his or her mind when they think of gym class and you’ll most likely get one common answer: speedball. Unsure whether it’s soccer or handball, speedball pits two teams against each other as they try and score goals by picking the ball up with only their feet. What sounds like a high-octane and energetic game ultimately boils down to a handful of kids playing like their lives are on the line while the rest of the class watches in anticipation for the game to end.
In an attempt to revitalize the legitimacy of gym as an actual class, MHS gym teachers are revamping the curriculum to serve a greater purpose. Gone are the days of being able to enter the gym knowing that you won’t even have to break a sweat throughout the hour-long period. Rather than daily games of speedball, new activities such as weight training and physical fitness are gradually being ushered into the new and improved syllabus. MHS gym teacher Coach Lynott recently stated, “For a non-athlete, the weight room is an intimidating place. With these new lessons, we hope to lessen these fears and actually educate students about what is available to them”. Through various weight training exercises and lessons, Coach Lynott hopes to show students how to actually use the weights even if they lack the body of a linebacker.
Along with the implementation of weight training, Ms. Calabrese and Coach Radzieski will begin leading lessons on yoga. Although it may seem as though many students will resent this change, Coach Lynnott feels as though they will learn to enjoy it just as he did. In addition to these new lessons, students will begin spending time in the classroom learning aspects about the human body such as heart rate and other indicators of physical intensity.
It will be interesting to see how the student body reacts to the new curriculum.