With the new school year upon us there are many prevalent changes, one of those changes being freshmen gym exemptions. Freshmen have never had the option of gym exemptions in the past and should not have them now. Physical Education is a necessity for adolescents especially for kids ranging from the age of ten to fifteen. With that being said, participating in gym is extremely beneficial for students, more specifically freshmen.

Physical education keeps students healthy, helps them release stress that is built up during the vigorous school day, and teaches students the importance of exercise. Physical education does nothing other then push students into creating good habits for themselves. “Physical education is nothing but beneficial,” said physical education teacher Mr. Milde.

One year of physical education could go a long way in getting students on the right track to creating good habits. Being physically active creates routine and structure for students that they can implement throughout the rest of their lives. Physical education teaches responsibility, teamwork, and leadership. “Gym gives students an opportunity to develop leadership skills and can influence moral development. Because it requires students to work together, it can build social skills and teamwork abilities,” said the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

In addition, for many students, gym is the only exercise they get during the day. Students have very busy schedules and it is understandable that students may not have time to get in thirty minutes of exercise. Haley Huamani 2018 said “Freshmen get about ten minutes of homework a night and should not get gym exemptions besides we did not get them as freshmen.” This is why participating in gym is so important. Today in America, one in three American teens are overweight. There are many reasons why a teen may be overweight the most common one being lack of activity. In a blog done by the Mayo clinic said, “The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, regardless of age.” While gym class may be vital to keep students healthy, gym exemptions are very helpful for getting work done.

Athletic director and vice principal Mr. Hoppe said, “Freshman exemption is something we have been thinking about for some time now… The theory is that PE exemptions enable our student athletes to get some homework done during the day and hopefully get more sleep at night. I think they should remain an option. If used properly, an exemption could be very beneficial to our athletes in terms of time management, good grades and stress.” While sports do take up a lot of time, there is still a way to get work done and stay physically active. When choosing electives, freshmen are given the option to sign up for a study hall. “Freshmen gym exemptions are extremely helpful especially for freshmen athletes it really helps me get homework done.” said freshman Avery Schuller.