Rumor Has It

Rumor Has It

By: Natalie Zur

Sentry Staff Reporter

High school gossip spreads like wildfire. Because of this, it can be difficult to differentiate from what is true and what is not.

A popular rumor that has recently been floating around the hallways is that the class of 2017 is required to take four years of gym.  Meanwhile, for all the other grades, only two years are mandatory at the state level to be able to graduate.

Gym teacher Rebecca Bonzano commented on this rumor.

“It is an urban legend,” Bonzano said. “It is simply not true.”

Students will sigh with relief at this announcement, mainly because most kids do not wish to give up a period for another required class.  However, if a student wishes to continue with gym for more than two year, then they are able to sign up to take it as an elective.

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Some students would rather play ping pong than take a core class.
Photo by Annabel Hungate

If this rumor had been true, however, it would not have been all that bad. One positive to taking gym for four years is that it exposes students to a variety of different activities so that by the end of high school they  have a broader knowledge base of different sports and physical endeavors.

“It is all about lifetime activities,” said gym teacher Michael Smalley.

In spite of this rumor, the years required to take gym may in fact be lessened rather than increased for the freshmen.

“It is more likely to do away with gym than to (add) more years,” Bonzano said.

Despite the fact that the United States is the second most obese country in the world, chances are that because of the stress on academics, elective classes and gym will probably fall by the wayside.  Gym classes are being sacrificed across the country in order to save money and pour more time into the improvement of test scores and the satisfaction of federal mandates.

A research project undertook by the California Physical Education Department found a direct correlation between test scores and the amount of exercise children received.  Unfortunately,  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in August of 2013 that more than 60 percent of children aged 9 to 13 do not participate in any organized physical activity during their non-school hours.  A surprising 23 percent do not engage in any free-time physical activity at all.

Illinois is the only state to require P.E. to be taken daily at every grade level.  Virginia requires daily gym class from grades K-7 and two high school credits from gym class, according to the Virginia Department of Education.

The rumor has been busted. It is important for students to not believe everything that they hear, as it can often be a lie. As one can see, it is unlikely that the school will ever take out gym class completely; however, it is evident that the required years needed in order to graduate will most likely never increase.

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