As of June 2021, DPS resolved that all students, starting in the class of 2027 and above, would be required to take a comprehensive health class to receive a high school diploma. All sophomores must take a half semester of health along with a half semester of an elective. The DPS Board of Education claims that the class is meant to teach lifelong skills and equip students with knowledge of physical health, mental health, and substance abuse. But as the end of the semester approaches and the first semester of health comes to a close, sophomores have formed their own opinion on the class and have spoken out about what they want it to look like in the future.
Students have complained about the class, claiming it's repetitive with most of the information already taught in middle school. Sophomore Lola Carhart explained how “It’s annoying and it limits my credits and opportunities…It's just common knowledge.” 10th grader Jaden Marx added to that saying, “I don't think this information is new because most people just know the information and also most middle schools teach this.”
Sophomore and student council representative Abby Forsberg took the class this semester and decided to take action in an attempt to improve the course and its curriculum. “The motivation I had was how little engagement was in the class and how much the students hated it. I felt like the curriculum was making them feel like preschoolers and I just wanted to help the student body.” She created a short survey and petition for students taking health in the first semester. 100 students filled out the survey with 85 students saying they wanted to get rid of the class, 9 who said they didn't care, and 6 who wanted to keep it. Additionally, she talked to 8 health classes explaining what the survey was for and encouraging students to fill it out. But even with a student-signed petition and survey, what can be done to improve the class?
Abby described how she believes the root of the issue isn’t the teaching but the overall curriculum. Health teacher Lisa Smith explained earlier in the year how “The material they want us to teach them is a bit redundant and there might be a better way to teach it.” Some ideas have been suggested like incorporating the class into freshman academy, making it a short unit in biology, or making it an elective choice for students who are curious to learn more about health. That way students wouldn't have to sacrifice an elective of their choice to take the class. 10th grader Julia Bograd who is taking health next semester vocalized how she feels about the upcoming class. “I'm just disappointed because there were so many electives I wanted to take and now I can't experience them.”
Although health may seem like a burden to many, health teacher Abby Olsen
brought to light how the curriculum teaches lifelong skills. Over 60% of students in the U.S. struggle with stress and anxiety (transformingeducation.org) and the class teaches students how to manage it. Mrs. Olsen explained how the class “is not information students get in other classes and will be valuable now and in the future.”
The introduction of health has provoked questions among East students that shadow the curriculum's overall purpose. Although at first glance the class seems beneficial for high schoolers, some students have come to question its benefits. The East community is concerned about the newness of the curriculum and longevity of the class, but despite concerns, the class teaches relevant information that is critical for high schoolers to learn. For now, health is here to stay until we can find a way to improvise the class to make it better for the East community.
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