Physical education at Garfield Park Academy is virtually unrecognizable to anyone who attended school only a decade ago. Gone are the one-size-fits-all gym routines.
“We teach innovative wellness strategies that empower students to learn and practice healthy active behaviors that last a lifetime. Students learn skills and develop habits to support their mind, body, and spirit as they mature,”
– Kerrie Morse, Director.
Social workers play an important role in the wellness program, helping students learn how an active body promotes a more balanced mind and contributes to their overall well-being.
While students still learn traditional activities like basketball and softball, staff at Garfield Park Academy also teach wellness through a wide variety of fun and safe activities that allow for positive social interactions.
A newly renovated gym and two state-of-the-art outdoor fitness areas, including a 10-piece circuit training loop and new reflection garden, offer therapeutic spaces for movement.
Students at GPA learn about self-evaluation, personal goal setting, social engagement, sportsmanship, and the joy of movement. They learn portable skills and strategies that contribute to their personal, emotional, and social well-being.
Through activities like yoga, weightlifting, running, meditation, Tai Chi, and dance, students learn self-regulation, self-care, and self-expression.
This approach pays off in the classroom too. Data from the National Institutes of Health show a positive correlation between health, physical activity, and academic achievement. Students with healthy habits do better in school. Students have higher attendance, better grades, and perform better on tests.
“We want to keep those benefits going into adult life by teaching lifelong wellness,” concluded Morse.
