WELL SAID

COVID changed the way teens at this high school have gym class. It shouldn't change back

Clare Socolow
Fri, November 26, 2021,

Physical education at Moorestown High School had to undergo serious changes to comply with the new COVID-19 requirement of social distancing.

Before the pandemic, gym class had units which focused on playing a sport. Throughout the year we had soccer units, volleyball units, badminton units, hockey units, and others which were also covered in all of our previous grades in Moorestown public schools.

In more recent years, in an effort to spread out students in a more socially distanced manner, students were able to choose if we want to play basketball, volleyball, badminton, or some other activity offered in the gym. Walking is also an option if a student does not want to participate in a game, and on sunny days, we can walk outside or play outdoor activities like frisbee.

Compared to how it used to be, I prefer the more recent modifications to gym class.


Moorestown freshman coach Steph Allocco sends a group of senior off during a 'beep test' at a preseason practice. Soccer is part of the high school gym curriculum, but Teen Takes panelist Clare Socolow wishes gym class could stay more fitness, rather than sports, focused.

When I was in elementary and middle school, I didn’t have much of an issue with the way gym class was run. Though I was never a fan of some of the units like soccer and hockey, I found that I really enjoyed tennis, badminton, and other games. It was a good experience for me to be exposed to games and sports I’d never played before at a young age.

But once I had reached high school, my attitude changed. By the time students are in high school, we have already been exposed to all the different sports that were offered through middle and elementary school. I am 16 years old, and I don’t need another unit of soccer to confirm that I don’t like playing the sport.

For students who do like soccer, by the time they have reached high school they most likely already joined the school’s soccer team, a club team outside of school, or a team they created with their friends. What's the point in making gym students continue to play games that we already tried out before high school and found we dislike?

Instead of forcing students to replay sports we know we don’t like, some of the time we spend in gym class could instead be dedicated to learning how to use workout equipment, and how to make healthy and sustainable workout routines in our future.

Figuring out a workout routine that is a good fit for you is a very hard task. In middle school I remember briefly spending time in the weight room, where we would rotate after two minutes at stations with different equipment. I was only taught how to turn on and speed up the treadmill, not how to use all the other available functions that I could have applied to my workout routine early on.

We have four years of high school gym class and I believe part of that time should be spent preparing us for physical activity in college and adulthood. Isn’t that what high school is supposed to be about?

In today’s redesigned gym class, we have the freedom to choose to do whatever we want as long as we are active. Almost every gym period, two of my friends and I walk outside on the track and talk. It’s nice to have some time to just decompress while staying active, and I get to go outside. Going outside has been proven to be better for mental health, and for the first time since elementary school, I find myself looking forward to gym class.

The athletes who play volleyball and basketball on teams and actually enjoy it get to play those games in gym class, if that’s what they choose.

This new approach not only makes gym periods much more laid-back and fun, but also allows students to still be active while getting more fresh air. If these revisions to high school gym class remain after the pandemic has ended, not only would many more students enjoy their time in physical education, but they would also feel confident in their ability to be healthy as they go on to college and beyond.

Clare Socolow

Clare Socolow is a junior at Moorestown High School. She plays violin, is a longtime Girl Scout and in her free time enjoys writing, reading, drawing and painting.
This article originally appeared on Burlington County Times: At Moorestown High School, gym class shifts from sports to fitness

Want to help teens' body image? Change the way we do gym class

Jacob Woodruff
Fri, November 26, 2021

Everyone rightfully is outraged over the recent acknowledgement that Facebook and Instagram know they are hurting teens through unrealistic body images. Yet there is another method of body imaging shaming that continues.

In just about every high school across the nation, gym classes are in session, dividing teens into groups. While physical activity does the body good, are the methods in which gym classes are developed a possible gateway to body issues?

Admittedly, I am a very thin male who stands five feet, five inches tall, and unless the sport is attached to a computer or gaming system, I’m typically bad at it.

Countless days I spend standing, waiting to be called for a team in gym class, only to be chosen last. I am lucky that my school offers choices for physical activity including a “walk the track,” yet I am usually walking as the only male on the track. No matter the day, I typically leave gym class defeated, wondering why I’m not the athlete other males in my class are.


High school gym class can be just as bad as social media in enforcing negative body image.

I know I can’t be alone in this feeling.

For decades, movies and television shows have presented stories of the weak nerds that are no match for the muscle-ridden athletes. While the ending is usually a merge of the two groups playing off each others’ superior abilities, it still shows how divided the mindset can be with regards to physical appearances.

Yes, there are differences in this world, making a truly beautifully diverse planet, but why must some teens endure a gym class that shows how unathletic their body is? Why must we continue to subject teens to a gym locker room where body judgment is around every corner?

How can we accept the possible body image issues that occur in gym classes, but go after social media for doing the same thing?

I am in full support of getting physical activity, cheering on the great athletes at my school, and learning more about living a healthy life. I just want to know if there is a better way of doing gym classes, creating inclusivity that helps teens accept and love their bodies and physical abilities.

Until this day happens, I will continue to walk the track, attempt to play team sports in gym class, and increase my proteins and carbs, hoping that I will someday be the inner athlete gym class tells me I am.

Jacob Woodruff

Jacob Woodruff is a sophomore at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield. He joined the student newspaper as a freshman, and hopes to explore the South Jersey region from the teen perspective.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: High school gym class can reinforce negative body images among teens