My Opinions Story

At Bowie High School, students only need one physical education credit in order to graduate rather than one for every year. This has brought up the controversial discussion debating if physical education should be required for every student every year. Some people may argue that one credit is enough, and students shouldn’t let a physical education class take up space in their schedules. I think physical education should be required for every student every year that they attend Bowie High School.

Taking a physical education course can help students continue to be active and healthy. According to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in 2012. Being overweight or obese can increase the child’s risk to have cardiovascular diseases such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. If a student is enrolled in a class where they learn how to make healthy choices they can help combat childhood obesity.

Physical education can range from dance, swimming, football and marching band. There are multiple ways a child can get the physical activity that is needed. Physical activity has lots of health benefits including strengthening bone, decreasing blood pressure, reducing stress and anxiety and increasing self-esteem according to the American Heart Association. Even walking around the neighborhood, biking to a friend’s house and playing tag with a sibling counts as physical activity.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, Obesity is the result of having too many calories and not enough of those being burned. An energy imbalance can cause children and students to be overweight. If students take a physical education course, they’ll have a way to release that energy and burn calories at the same time. They won’t be sitting down in classes all day only working out their hands as they write papers or type essays.

Not as many students are performing physical activity as they were forty years ago, and only one-third of high school students get the recommended levels or physical activity according to the Let’s Move! Movement to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids. A reason for this is because students at Bowie High School aren’t required to take a physical education course every year. On top of performing physical activity, these courses also teach students how to make healthy decisions and how to maintain a healthy diet.

In conclusion, I believe a physical education course should be required for every student at Bowie High School every year. Students can choose from large varieties of ways to get their recommended time in. These classes can help students live a longer and happier life.