One Denver high school is taking steps to ensure its students stay active long after they graduate.
Denver School of Science and Technology, founded in 2004, is a public charter school that focuses on cultivating students’ physical and intellectual well-being. The students are admitted by lottery, so their physical abilities are as varied as their cultural and economic backgrounds.
“Not everyone is an athlete, and not everyone wants to compete, but everybody should be good at something physical and something they like,” says Kate Dresher, athletic director at the school, which requires four trimesters of P.E. credits for graduation.
Most high schools require at least a year of physical education, but with obesity rates growing, schools are looking for ways to cultivate lifelong healthy habits. By the time kids reach high school, 64 percent of students are no longer physically active, says the American Council on Exercise.
As a freshman, Ty Nolan wanted to get involved with her school, so she signed up for roller hockey.
“I like the lifetime activities because they help develop more skill instead of worrying about who’s winning,” says Nolan, now a sophomore. “You’re not under so much pressure to do well. You don’t feel bad if you miss the puck or fall, because you’re not losing the game for anyone.”
The goal is for the students to learn the importance of being physically active and to continue to incorporate activity into their routines for the rest of their lives, Dresher says.
The school’s academic environment can be stressful, so yoga is a favorite class for the students, she says.
“Kids really like the yoga exercise because they don’t have to get too sweaty and they get to relax,” Dresher says. “Most of the kids aren’t athletes, and they don’t like to get sweaty, so they take the path of least resistance.”
Wesley Pfeiffer, a senior, said he has bad luck with sports, so he took yoga for all four of his P.E. credits.
“It’s fitting for this school,” Pfeiffer says. “It really helps during finals, CSAP and ACT time.”
While Pfeiffer may not be moving to India any time soon, his years of yoga practice have taught him a new perspective.
“You need to be able to step back from the world and take a breath,” Pfeiffer says.
The key, Dresher says, is offering activities the kids want to do so that they’ll continue exercising after they graduate. Popular options include weight training, kick-boxing, roller hockey and hip-hop dance.
No sitting on the bench
Kelton McNair, a sophomore, says he took weight training and learned the skills to continue lifting weights on his own. He learned how to exercise safely without hurting himself — and that’s something he says he’ll take with him to college.
“If the kids have an idea that they really want to do and it doesn’t cost a lot of money, we’ll try it out,” Dresher says.
That’s how roller hockey made the roster of sports, Dresher says. Jen Ray was a teacher at the school who played roller hockey as a hobby and led an equipment-donation drive for 25 students. Although she now works for an educational foundation, Ray still teaches the once-a-week class at a converted airplane hangar near the school.
Modeled on college intramural sports, the classes are inclusive and fun, she says. There’s no sitting the bench, no getting chosen last. “I know what it’s like to sit the bench, to be the kid who doesn’t make the team and still just wants to have fun,” says Ray, who started playing hockey at age 16. “It’s old-fashioned — everyone throws their stick in and they divide them up.”
Now in its seventh year, the hockey team plays an annual game against the teachers, and alums regularly return for a spin around the rink. “We had one student who played roller hockey through all of high school and now plays ice hockey at CU,” says Ray.
Breaking out of the mold
High schools in the Poudre School District in Fort Collins offer “alternatives that range from dance to aerobics, to sport-specialty courses,” says curriculum director Todd Lambert. “It just depends on the school.”
Fort Collins High students apply for and have to be academically eligible for the new adventure P.E. class. “We are attempting to get more students involved in physical activity that may not enjoy ‘traditional’ games,” says Conrad Crist, who teaches the class.
“We do sports that you normally wouldn’t do,” says Collins senior Anna Isernia. “We’ve done biking, bike polo, the ropes course, tent building, survival stuff and other things. We have scuba, rock climbing, fly-fishing and camping planned.”
At DSST, the few kids who don’t want to do any of the offered activities or those who have a special interest in an “unusual” sport can earn P.E. credits outside of school. “They really can’t come to me and say, ‘There isn’t anything on this list that I want to do,’ ” she says. The school has students earn credits by swimming, fencing and horseback riding, Dresher says.
She felt she had to give the students athletic opportunities beyond the traditional offerings. “The school is hyperfocused on academics,” Dresher says. “And you can’t be hyperfocused on one thing; you have to mold the whole child.”
She hopes they will follow the motto she adopted when creating the program: “Do something you love so you can do it for life.”
Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com
How to keep kids active
Team sports are a great way for kids to get their daily activity requirement, but competitive sports aren’t for everyone. Here are some ideas from the American Heart Association to encourage your “nonathlete” to get up and get moving:
Don’t make exercise a punishment. Forcing a child to go out and play may increase resentment and resistance. Try using physical activity to counter something the child doesn’t want to do. For instance, make it the routine that your child can ride a bike for 30 minutes before starting homework after school. Some students will beg for 20 more minutes outside just to put off the homework.
Find an activity they love. Some kids just don’t like competing in sports. That’s OK, there are lots of other ways to be active: Try swimming, horseback riding, dancing, cycling, skateboarding, yoga, walking or jumping rope. Encourage children to explore multiple activities to find one they really enjoy.
Build confidence. Some kids are embarrassed to participate in sports because they don’t think they’re good enough. Find time to practice together and boost their skills and confidence.
American Heart Association
