Physical Education and Health @ BHS

Freshmen will automatically be scheduled for physical education. These activities encourage students to develop skills and positive attitudes toward lifelong participation in exercise. The ninth grade Physical Education program has students explore:

• Fitness

• Orienteering

• Recreational and cooperative activities

• Team and individual sports

In addition, during the ninth grade, a Fitness Center orientation program is included. This center is also available after school for student use. 

Sophomore students are presented with a variety of team, individual and lifetime activities. Students will continue to build on the concepts and knowledge learned in the previous year. Daily participation will also include:

• Abdominal work

• Cardio fitness

• Flexibility exercises

• Upper body strengthening

An important objective of the Grade 10 program is to give students the background for entering the selection program in the junior and senior years.

Junior and Senior students have an opportunity to select many of their activities. Offerings include:

• Adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

• Archery

• Badminton

• Fitness walking

• Golf

• Lifetime fitness planning

• Ping pong

• Recreational games such as:

• Bocce

• Crochet

• Horseshoes

• Shuffle-board

• Team sports

• Tennis

• Weight training

• Yoga

This course will meet two days each cycle for one semester.  This skill based course offers numerous opportunities for building personal, social and life skills.  The curriculum is designed to aid the student in transitioning to the rigors and pressures of high school.  Through the skills students will learn how to set goals, analyze influences, make decisions, access valid and reliable information and communicate.  Content that will be infused into the skills will be the dimensions of wellness, stress, stress management, substance use, relationships, bullying and cyber-bullying.

Parents/guardians who do not wish to have their student enrolled in Health Education must notify the Headmaster’s office in writing during the programming cycle.

This course is designed to broaden the student’s understanding of wellness issues and its relevance to their personal lives. Discussions and guided activities will be used to discuss:

• Alcohol and other drug misuse

• Balancing stress

• Body image and eating disorders

• Bullying and cyber-bullying

• Depression and suicide

• Evaluation of health information

• Healthy food choices

Nutrition and Fitness emphasizes the critical role eating a nutritious diet play in overall health. It also stresses the importance of including physical activity in daily routines. Students will participate in fitness activities and will learn to control their state of wellness through the decisions they make.

Units of study include:

• Careers

• Eating disorders

• Food preparation activities

• Global hunger consumer issues

• Sources and functions of nutrients

• Weight management

This course focuses on the issues of:

• Abstinence

• Adolescence

• Birth

• Child development

• Family

• Human sexuality

• Interpersonal relationships

• Positive decision making

• Pregnancy

• Sexually transmitted infections

Included in the course are many contemporary issues that concern the adolescent. Students are provided with forthright information concerning their physical health and well-being. The course aims to improve decision making, advocate for positive health practices, and help students make responsible choices regarding their health and well being.

Preschool Laboratory 1 is a year-long course open to high school juniors and seniors with interest and fondness for children. It is designed to offer a hands-on opportunity to study child development while working with children in our on-site preschool program.

In addition to studying child development students:

• Learn about curriculum development

• Plan and teach lessons

• Develop learning materials

• Assist in the preparation of the classroom

• Develop a repertoire of strategies for managing young children

Students interested in pursuing careers in education or health are particularly encouraged to enroll in this course.

Preschool Laboratory 2 is a year long course open to high school seniors who have successfully completed Preschool Laboratory 1. 

The course has been designed to provide a more in-depth exploration into the fields of Early Childhood Education and other child-related services. There is an increased emphasis on teamwork, time management, and effective communication. Through their class and preschool activities students will develop an increased understanding of:

• Child development

• Developmentally appropriate preschool activities

• Educational practices

• Educational psychology

Students who maintain a C or better average in Preschool Lab 2 are qualified to apply for certification as a preschool teacher through the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.