At WA, students are offered a large variety of electives – from art and music, to business and creative writing, the possibilities are endless; students have the opportunity to pursue any field that they may have an interest in as well as explore different options. Despite this, many students often feel limited in their ability to choose their classes freshmen year. Due to only having room for one full-year elective or two half-year electives, freshmen often have to make difficult choices when deciding what classes they would like to prioritize that year.
However, this limited ability for freshmen to choose electives may change in the near future. At the School Committee meeting on Dec. 16, 2024, the Graduation Requirement Committee made a recommendation to restructure Physical Education (PE) and Health guidelines, decreasing the PE and Health credit requirement from 12.5 credits to 10 credits. With this change, students would be allowed an extra semester elective during their freshman year, much like their future sophomore and junior years.
At WA, classes are based on a credit system, where students must receive a total of 117.5 credits to graduate. Semester-long classes last half a year and count for 2.5 credits, while full-year classes are worth 5 credits. In addition to the overall credit requirement, students must also meet specific subject requirements to graduate. These include earning 22.5 credits in electives, 10 credits in PE, and 2.5 credits in Health. Each year, students are required to take 2.5 credits of PE, totaling 10 credits by graduation. Freshmen must also complete 2.5 credits in Health Education. Additionally, students must meet credit requirements in subjects like English and foreign language.
Giving freshmen an extra elective opportunity would be a highly beneficial change for many reasons. Many students find that the class requirements in freshman year can be extensive, leading some students to defer their PE class to sophomore year, meaning that they take 7.5 credits of electives rather than 5, and undergo a full year of PE rather than the usual half year. In the past, freshmen have been able to defer the class to their sophomore, junior, or senior year but now, they must defer the class to sophomore year. This option comes with a cost, however, as some students who would like to take more electives may not like PE but are forced to take it for a consecutive year. This defeats the purpose of deferring PE because the students will still have the same limited electives the next year, when they should be even closer to narrowing down their interests. They also must take the “Basics of Kinesiology in Physical Education” class along with the freshmen as sophomores.
“I deferred PE so that I could take chorus and Elements of Theater [in freshman year] because I didn’t want to put music on hold but I also wanted to be able to be part of shows and have the option to take more theater classes,” junior Grace Hinkle said. “The hardest part of this is just the inevitable double PE. I actually am not making the semester up until next year. It’s fine but it definitely limits the electives I can take next year because it takes away the opportunity to take another year-length class and I have to choose a semester course.”
If PE and Health were to be combined in freshman year, students would no longer have to defer PE and would be able to take the usual half-year of PE the next year. Every student would benefit from having physical education and movement for half a year every year, rather than just half a year three out of the four high school years. Studies show that getting consistent, daily exercise can have many benefits such as helping control weight, preventing certain diseases, and boosting one’s energy. Additionally, currently, if sophomores who decided to defer PE freshmen year would like to double up in math, as many sophomores do, they would lose the opportunity to take an elective as PE would fill the spot. Combining PE and Health requirements in freshman year would allow for students who double up in math to more easily catch up with their elective requirement as well.
Having more opportunities for electives at Westford Academy is extremely important for the student body. Not only does it provide a chance for students to discover their interests and passions outside of the five main classes: English, math, social studies, science, and foreign language, but it also gives students a break between heavier classes and the typical class structure of note-taking and lectures. School can be quite stressful, and students depend on electives, especially art electives such as Foundations of Art, Elements of Theater, Concert Choir, Concert Band, and Chamber Orchestra to be a break between more difficult classes and as a way to release stress and decompress. Studies have shown that making art can lower stress and anxiety. For example, coloring and drawing can reduce one’s heart rate, and sculpting with clay has been found to change brainwave patterns in ways that reflect a relaxed, meditative state. With more room for electives, freshmen can take time out of their schedules to focus on something like making art, whether that be physically, sonically, or theatrically, and develop their brains in a different, creative way.
Additionally, electives such as band, orchestra, and robotics teach students the importance of working together as a team, especially across grade levels. Electives are often the only chance freshmen get to interact with different grade levels during school hours since, they must follow a specific path of classes including biology, world history, and geometry or Algebra 1. Socialization between different grade levels is important, as younger students can get advice and learn from older students, and older students learn to work with and respect younger students. Overall, electives build community in high schools, and freshmen would have the opportunity to have more exposure to different grade-level interactions if they could take another elective.
Some people may argue that both PE and Health classes are very important, especially for young students starting their high school years, and that having these two classes be separate is more beneficial than having an extra elective slot. In recent years, there has been a lot of talk of eliminating PE requirements entirely because many students participate in daily school sports, and therefore have no need to participate in physical activities during the school day. However, I agree that PE classes are different from just physical activities such as school sports, as they have a different curriculum and teach students many important things when it comes to their health, such as measuring pulses, road safety during physical activity, and the overall importance of daily exercise. But combining PE and Health would still allow for some of this education, and as students are just beginning their high school careers, they would still have three full semesters of PE in their sophomore, junior, and senior years and would still be able to learn.
Having so many choices for electives is one of the things that stands out about Westford Academy. It unites different grade levels, and gives students the opportunity to explore many different passions and interests. We are all more individualized because of them, and they are what sets students apart from one another.
