In an effort to achieve their 20 credits required for graduation, Campo students must either participate in two seasons of sport through Athletic P.E. or two semesters of a P.E elective course. The first ten credits needed for graduation are received through P.E. 9 which is mandatory for all freshmen. The option for earning credits via Athletic P.E. is only available to sophomores and juniors.
Athletic P.E. was first introduced in 2018. Prior to its introduction, students had to take both P.E. 9 and 10. Counsellor Amardeep Dhaliwal explains how Athletic P.E. is a way to give students credit for the sports activities that they are involved in.
One question commonly arises: why can’t credits be obtained by students in their freshmen and senior year? After all, they are putting in time and effort, in addition to showing a commitment to one sport, or in some cases, multiple sports. According to Dhaliwal, “Freshmen are already taking a P.E. class and earning ten credits their freshmen year. We don’t want seniors holding off on earning P.E. credits [until] their senior year. If they get injured or don’t play a sport…graduation is in jeopardy.”
Not all sports are eligible for Athletic P.E. credit. For example, out-of-school sports don’t receive any credit. As Dhaliwal explains, “There is no way of monitoring how valid [out-of-school sports] are. There are some programs that are really rigorous and adhere to all the requirements that our sports do where there is regular practice and a certain level of activity and then there are some [programs] that [do not]. There is no way for us to manage that and hold those programs accountable.”
Many Campo students participate in sports out of school, whether it be dance, ice skating, or a club sport. Due to the inability to verify their hours, Campo students have to enroll in P.E. elective courses, such as yoga, to earn the credits needed for graduation.
Sophomore Olivia Parker is currently taking yoga to earn her ten outstanding credits. Parker has danced at the Joy in Motion dance studio for five years. Parker explained, “I’m at the studio five days a week. I’m there for three hours on Monday, four hours on Tuesday, one hour on both Wednesday and Thursday, and two hours on Friday. So, eleven hours total each week.”
When asked if Parker wished that her hours spent outside of school counted for credit she enthusiastically responded, “Yes, that would be amazing if that happened!”
While Athletic P.E. helps students gain credits necessary for graduation, it can end up occupying a spot in a student’s schedule that could otherwise have been filled by a different class. Parker said that she would have appreciated the opportunity to take an academic class in lieu of taking yoga.
Junior Sophia Pettibone participated in Campo soccer during her freshmen and sophomore year. Unfortunately, Pettibone said that she did not receive any credit her sophomore year of playing soccer. Because she did not log her hours, Pettibone had to take yoga to fulfill her P.E. requirement. Pettibone does not mind taking yoga and said, “I think it’s nice to have a break from academic classes and yoga provides me with that opportunity.”
Even though Athletic P.E. doesn’t allow for out-of-school sports to contribute to credits or allow freshmen and seniors to participate in the program, it does fulfill its goal: to help students earn their credits needed for graduation.
