Main Physical Education Web page

Exercising the mind and body are important at Delavan-Darien High School. We believe a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, and a healthy mind leads to a healthy body.

In addition to regular physical education classes, DDHS also offers a Health and Wellness class and Healthy Lifestyles class. The ultimate goal of our comprehensive health education program is to help our students achieve their fullest potential through the highest level of health and wellness.

We have a state-of-the art interactive dance system at the high school, and will soon have a renovated and improved fitness center. Additional plans include creating a cross-country running course around the perimeter of the high school and middle school grounds. The P.E.P. Grant has also led to a Community Health Fair at the high school that is attended by students. Students are also encouraged to participate in athletics and continue fitness and healthy habits outside of the classroom.

Health and Physical Education Courses

In order to graduate from Delavan-Darien High School, a minimum of 1 and ½ credits over 4 years in Physical Education are required; students must take Physical Education in 9^th and 10^th grades. In addition, 1/2 credit of Health must be completed in grade 9.

Physical Education 9
The purpose of Physical Education courses is to create an active learning environment that emphasizes wellness, physical fitness, physical activity, social and emotional growth, and that encourages students to lead physically active lives. Students will participate in a side variety of lifetime activities, develop working knowledge of sports and skills, and be able to apply rules and skills to actual game situations. Physical education also provides time for exercise/physical activity in a student’s school day. This allows for the burning of calories, relief of stress, and enjoy some “fun” during the school day.  Physical Education 9-10 is a structured program in which students are given a limited amount of choices. Major emphasis is placed on developing positive attitudes toward being physically active. All students begin with a fitness portfolio in grade 9 which is used to monitor improvement/lack of improvement in the following areas: cardiovascular fitness; body fat percentile; fat free mass, and weight and blood pressure.

Health and Wellness
Students will learn the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and ways to reduce their risks of disease. During this course students will understand the importance of becoming health literate individuals. Without health education, no other life goal can be successfully achieved. Therefore, it is recommended that all students study health, learning about the body, how it changes over the life cycle, what nourishes it and diminishes it, and how a healthy body contributes to emotional well being. Units of study include nutrition, wellness, communicable and non-communicable diseases, drugs and alcohol, HIV/AIDS, and sex education.
 

Physical Education 10-11-12 Course Offerings
The purpose of Physical Education courses is to develop a learning environment that emphasizes personal wellness, physical fitness, physical activity, nutrition, and social and emotional wellness.  The courses offered will encourage students to lead physically active lives through a variety of lifetime activities.  The following courses are designed to provide the students with the advanced health concepts through the different courses that are offered.  The following courses will focus on the concepts essential to the body’s well-being. These concepts are fitness, nutrition, adventure education, physical skill development, and game strategy.  The students will continue to use their personal portfolios to monitor their physical well-being through these courses. 

Trends in Physical Education
The Trends course is designed to provide physical activities and ideas related to fitness concepts and total body strength training.  Trends in physical fitness are a popular exercise program offered in many fitness centers or clubs.  The course will train the cardio-vascular system and body strength through the following activities: Yoga, Pilates, Strength Training, Core Body Workouts, Kick boxing, Taebo, and Zumba.

Strength Training I
The Strength Training I course is designed to provide physical workouts that focus on strength training.  The course will also include cardio-vascular concepts, power and explosive training, lateral quickness, and flexibility.  The students will learn to train their body and design a fitness plan that is reflective of the activities they are interested in. The course will be focused around the fitness center and the weight room.

Strength Training II
The Strength Training II course is designed to develop total body strength while applying advanced performance fitness components to the workout. Examples of those components include power, speed and quickness, agility, and balance. Other areas of focus include cardio-vascular concepts, power and explosive training, and flexibility. The overload principle will be a focus of the class. The overload principle is the application of any demand or resistance that is greater than those levels normally encountered in daily life. The student will design workouts specifically to the type of training they are looking for. The class will meet in the strength room and fitness center.

Body Sculpting
The Body Sculpting class is designed to shape and tone the body without increasing muscular size or bulk. Students will engage in activities that will combine cardiovascular, flexibility, and muscle toning workouts. Intended outcomes for this class include maintenance of a healthy body, changes in body composition, weight reduction in the midsection, tightening of skin, and sculpting of arms and shoulders. The students will develop goals and a workout routine designed to achieve those goals. The class will meet in the strength room and fitness center.

Team Activities
The Team Activities course is designed to provide cardio-vascular exercise through a focus on team sports.  Students will learn the fitness concepts through competition of the team experience.  This course will be a competitive class.  Activities that are included in the course include: Floor hockey, Speedball, Flag Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Battle Ball, Ultimate Frisbee, and Mat Ball.

Individual Activities
The Individual Activities course is designed to provide students with necessary skills to live a healthy lifestyle.  The fitness components will be the focus of the course.  Students will participate in activities that will offer experience in the various aspects of personal fitness.  This course will allow students to compete through individual sport.  The course will include the following activities: Tennis, Badminton, Pickle ball, and Racquetball.

Adventure, Leadership, and Outdoor Pursuits I
The Adventure, Leadership, and Outdoor Pursuits I course is designed to introduce students to an experientially based education program that focuses on individual growth and interpersonal relationships. We will focus on risk taking, leadership, community building, winter recreation, lifelong personal fitness, aquatic activities, and experiences with high elements including rock climbing and high and low ropes courses. Due to the nature of the course and the aquatics aspects of kayaking and canoeing, students must be confident swimmers in deep water and be able to minimally swim 200 consecutive yards. Students will primarily be graded on cognitive assessments. The course will emphasize individual development, group activities, interest in new experience, and achieving higher levels of leadership and responsibility.

Note: Students will be off campus for various educational experiences. Parent/Guardian permission slips will be required and minimal costs may be relevant.

Adventure, Leadership, and Outdoor Pursuits II
The Adventure, Leadership, and Outdoor Pursuits II course is an extension of Adventure I for students with excelled interest in adventurous activities. This course is hor highly mitivatede students who want to learn and experience experiential learning at an intense level. Students will become efficient at group problem solving and student interpersonal relationships. They will then lead team-building activities with various groups throughout the Delavan-Darien School District. Students will also gain extensive knowledge and practice with bicylces, kayaks, canoes as well as equipment repair and maintenance. Due to the nature of the course and the aquatics aspects of kayaking and canoeing, students must be confident swimmers in deep water and be able to minimally swim 200 consecutive yards. Grading will primarily be based on cognitive assessments.

Note: Students will be off campus for various educational experiences. Parent/Guardian permission slips will be required and minimal costs may be relevant.

Healthy Lifestyles (.25 credit)
The Healthy Lifestyles course will provide students with a variety of elements essential to living a healthy lifestyle.  The course will focus on the students understanding the importance of being a self motivated health advocate.  The students will learn how decisions that are made at a young age can develop a lifestyle, both positively and negatively.  The course offers an American Heart Association CPR and First Aid certification, nutrition unit, stress management unit, risks associated with alcohol and drug use, and a healthy relationships unit.