As the bell for seventh period rings, sophomore Ayelet Raffalin gears up for a dance class filled with music, movement and fun. She laughs through an engaging and intense warm-up with her friends, thrilled to have a brain break at the end of the day.
Raffalin is one of many Paly students taking an alternative to the regular physical education classes. While students can’t get a prep period for these classes for in-season sports, students who take them say they offer unique experiences.
Between yoga, dance and athletic conditioning in the weight room, there is room for students who don’t want to take conventional PE to still meet graduation requirements.
Dance teacher Alyssa Bond said in her class students focus on movement, music and having fun.
“Dance is just a chance to move your body to music, express yourself and participate in art while you’re working on your physical fitness,” Bond said.
The dance class focuses on participation rather than performance, cycling through different styles throughout the year. The class explores hip hop, jazz, tap and musical theater dance and sophomore dance student Ayelet Rafalin said she enjoys the class because of the positive environment.
“I am happy with my decision to do dance for my second year of PE because Ms. Bond creates a really chill environment for the class, and it’s just a fun class for the end of the day,” Rafalin said. “I love the people and how every class is run. It’s a very organized routine but still fun.”
Although some students do dance to replace a year of PE, students do have the choice to continue taking dance through another course. While Dance 1 only offers PE credit, Dance 2 can also fulfill visual and performing arts graduation credit.
Bond said she has some students who take dance mainly to get out of PE, but she also has students who take dance to pursue their interests.
“A good chunk of the students that choose dance really want to dance,” Bond.“They want to move their bodies to music and listen to music. But I’m not blind. I get my share of students who just don’t want to run.”
In addition to dance, students can also take Yoga as a PE alternative.
Sheri Mulroe, who teaches the Yoga class, also said some of her yoga students take the class because they don’t want to run, but mental health and meditation aspects also draw in students.
“Pretty much always the piece that sticks with the kids the most is the meditation piece, which initially was quite surprising to me, because it’s something we do for five or 10 minutes each class session,” Mulroe said. “But I think learning different breathing techniques can help students with any stressful situations, irritating things or anxiety provoking experiences.”
Mulroe said Paly’s yoga class was first created to address student mental health concerns.
“There is a mental health struggle within our population in the district and at Paly,” Mulroe said. “One of the reasons was to work on addressing that in some way. Clearly, we’re not reaching every student, but people talked about wellness and actually doing something about wellness in schools.”
Mental health, however, is not the only appeal to students. Sophomore yoga student Kaavya Chittoor said she did not enjoy a traditional PE class but likes yoga because it allows her to get fit in a new way.
“I didn’t like PE at all, so it’s good for there to be other options for people who feel the same way. I thought yoga would be something I enjoyed more,” Chittoor said. “I think we receive the same amount of physical activity as those in PE but in a different way.”
Despite this, Mulroe and Bond both said the physical rigor of dance and yoga is often questioned, but both also said their classes incorporate strength and conditioning that physically challenges students.
And Mulroe said she enjoys seeing Yoga students excited about the curriculum.
“I love to teach it because I’m offering an opportunity for someone to learn something they can do forever,” Mulroe said. “So when I see that kids are excited about what they’re learning, that’s really exciting for me, seeing kids just adopt the practice and take it quite seriously.”
Athletic conditioning teacher Jason Fung also feels passionate about the impact of his class on students. “I love it,” Fung said. “It’s been my passion for many years, even before I started teaching. I was a personal trainer before teaching. I want to make sure kids understand how all lifts work and what they are used for. I’m glad we offer a weight room, and I can unload my knowledge of how to lift and lift properly, it’s something we could all use. There are adults that still don’t know how to workout. This class offers up an opportunity for kids to lift and learn.”
Fung said his class begins with an introductory lesson to everything fitness-related including nutrition, water intake, hydration and BMI.
By the end of the year, students have a personalized workout plan that meets their individual needs and goals.
After that, Fung said the curriculum is primarily composed of strength and cardio training.
“We do a variety of running such as stadiums, intervals and long distance runs,” Fung said “So we do a variety of different things that PE does touch on, but we go in depth a little more. Since you don’t get a prep, you’re really taking the class for what it’s worth. My goal and the class’s goal is ultimately getting you to enjoy the workouts and enjoy what you’re putting together for yourself.”
Sophomore Jacob Molina said he took athletic conditioning for multiple reasons, but the biggest reason was to put on muscle.
Molina said, “I’ve been a scrawny kid my whole life, so the confirmation that you look better and more in shape is just a really great feeling. That is what I hoped for when I decided to take the class. And I’m really grateful to have the weight room as a PE alternative.”