By James Kulp

A cornerstone of Collegiate’s Middle School curriculum is Physical Education (P.E.). Every Lower and Middle Schooler goes to P.E. multiple times per week. But what exactly do they learn, and what is the true purpose of the P.E.?

Collegiate starts P.E. early. The curriculum runs Kindergarten through 8th Grade. These nine years of P.E. quickly add up to an extensive amount of time spent in the gym, classroom, and on the field. There are a series of short and long-term benefits to having a P.E program as complex and well-taught as the one we have at Collegiate.    

P.E.  starts in the Lower School, led by Lower School P.E. teachers and coaches Page Chapman and Carol Lewis. Here, the curriculum is far more game-based. Students begin with a warm-up of bodyweight movements and then transition to games, including all varieties of tag, juggling practice, and jump rope. These activities teach skills such as hand-eye coordination and quick decision-making, both of which prepare students for the latter part of their P.E. and athletic careers at Collegiate. Another added benefit is that it is an outlet for students to release cooped-up energy during the school day. Apart from recess, P.E. is one of the few times Lower School students are allowed to run around, while at the same time developing crucial skills under the guidance of our coaches. This physical activity has been proven to have numerous physical and mental benefits as an added benefit.   

The next tier of P.E is for 5th and 6th Graders. The Middle School program becomes much more specific and varied in its goals. Middle School P.E. classes are taught by a team of five coaches—Trip Featherston, Kevin Coffey, Andy Stone, Jennifer Linder, and Christina Dobson—each of whom takes on a different role in the program. Now clad in matching green and white uniforms, the 5th and 6th Graders experience a more purpose-driven P.E. experience.

As Coach Featherston explains, “In 5th and 6th Graders, the main thing they are doing is learning different sports and trying to figure out what they might like to do at Collegiate.” This is important because Upper School students have a sports requirement  for participating in at least two sports, or similar physical activities, per year. There are also some less traditional options for Upper Schoolers, such as the STAR tutoring program, Outdoor Collegiate, and yoga. One of the main goals and benefits of having a purposeful Middle School program is that students are exposed to each sport that Collegiate offers, allowing them to make an informed choice about which sports activities they might like to participate in at the Cub, JV, and varsity levels in the years to come. 

5th and 6th Graders also take strength and conditioning and nutrition courses every third day. The strength and conditioning day is conducted on the second floor of Seal Athletic Center in the wrestling room, where students are led by Coach Stone.  Here students mainly do movement-based body-weight exercises, such as horizontal pull ups. 

The nutrition course is designed to motivate these young students to make healthy life choices around diet and exercise. This three-day rotation framework is an updated version of how P.E was originally structured. In the past, there were units in which students would learn about sports or be in the classroom for a three-week period, before transitioning to the next rotation. The current system has Middle School P.E students rotating every day, keeping the schedule more varied and engaging for students.

P.E. for 7th and 8th Graders is quite similar to P.E. for the 5th and 6th graders , with a few but important changes. The focus in 7th and 8th Grade is on preparing them for success in the sports they might enjoy in high school by giving them a team sport experience through Cub sports. For this reason, 7th and 8th Graders start to work in the weight room, where they learn the standard lifts often used to make athletes stronger and more successful. The new focus on weight room makes students more prepared for JV and varsity sports. 7th and 8th Graders go to weight room every other day, and the other half of their time is split between a classroom and game units. In the classroom, instead of a focus on nutrition, students have health and substance abuse education, and the game unit is geared to world games students typically wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise. These games include badminton, rugby, cricket, and many more.  

My own experience with Middle School P.E. was quite positive.  During my time in Middle School, we went to P.E. every day of the week except Tuesdays. I always dreaded Tuesdays, mainly due to the fact that it meant I wouldn’t have a mental break during the day where I could have some fun. In addition, only on rare occasions does the P.E. curriculum requires students to complete a homework assignment.

My younger brother George K. (’25) says “P.E. is a good class, but game day is the best.” Much like my younger sibling, my favorite part of P.E. was game day, which was among the more popular rotations. The only obstacle between me and 30 minutes of fun was what I perceived to be a monotonous and prolonged warm up. P.E., however, is not only a mental break for students. As Featherston said, “My biggest goal for every kid that comes through here, whether it be in the classroom, or P.E., or weight room, is just that they learn to be a hard worker and that they treat others the right way.” Featherston continued, “we give them the means, but I can’t make them buy in.” Now, as a varsity athlete, I appreciate the value of P.E at Collegiate, and for those who do buy in the benefits show.

Featured image credit: Vlastik Svab.