While sports help students get the required amount of exercise, schedules often conflict. P.E. provides students with the opportunity to stay active in spite of extra curricular activities.

“I think P.E. is good, because it forces kids to stay in shape,” Abby Wendel, ’09, said. “I think people gain weight over summer, because they have no real routine and they get lazy. In school, we have to be active, but in the summer we aren’t forced to stay active.”

During her six years on campus, alumnus Perri Potigian, ’07, participated in P.E. every semester. To stay in shape, Potigian takes a badminton class at California State University Fresno.

“I appreciated P.E. in high school because I never had time for after school sports,” Potigian said. “I liked that it gave me a chance to have fun and play team sports. Now being in college, I’ve managed to not gain weight because I?m taking a badminton class and it?s very competitive. There’s a lot of running involved. I think P.E. is beneficial for students because without it, it?s really easy for teens that don’t play sports to get lazy.”

Some students choose to participate in different physical activities instead of P.E.

“I’m not in a P.E. class this year because I am in the marching band,” Sydney Carlson, ’11, said. “However, it takes a lot of energy and really works your leg and arm muscles. Every day we march for 30 minutes, except on Tuesdays when we march after school for one mile. I think it’s important to take responsibility for your health because God wants us to take care of ourselves.”

Nathan Hinojosa, ’09, partakes in both P.E. and additional sports because he believes it benefits health.

“I like P.E. because it helps you stay fit,” Hinojosa said. “You run and play sports like football and ultimate Frisbee. I know people who graduated from high school and let themselves go. I guess they express their individuality by being fat.”

Shailey Jones, P.E. teacher, believes exercise benefits health.

“Physical activity gives you energy and keeps you healthy,” Jones said. “By being active you can help prevent diabetes, cancer, heart disease, manage blood pressure, and other illnesses. Its is important for students to excercise on a regular basis to prolong their life.”

Senior Jonathan Bingman’s hobbies include working with sound, computers and video. However, he attends conditioning class because of exercise and friends.

“It’s really hard because I?m not used to running that much,” Bingman said. “I never ran this hard before. It?s good because it keeps me in shape and I like the kids in the class.”

According to annecollins.com, around 65% of Americans are overweight. A jog in the park or lifting weights at a local gym may be an alternative solution to the dilemma.

“If you can’t take PE, you can always go to Golds Gym, Yosemite Fitness Gym or even go jogging on the Clovis trail or at Woodward Park,” Jones said. “There are also places in town where you can take yoga classes as well as dance classes.”