Starting in the 2017-2018 school year, student’s physical education grade will be counted towards their GPA. Students have always had to take P.E. every semester at LHS but, it has not affected their GPA or their transcript. They have only had to receive a passing grade in order to get credit for the class.

         Having gym included in students’ GPA has been discussed in the school for the last few years. Over email, Ms. Patti Mascia, the physical education department head, said the change is happening now because “once the curriculum work for all the departments [was] approved by [the] district office, it was then when Physical Education was seriously considered to be a part of the GPA.”

         Ms. Mascia is excited about the new change and believes it will overall help students in addition to being a positive change in the school.

         “Recognizing student achievement in fitness improvement physically as well as cognitively is the core focus of classes. Athletic ability and sport-specific skill, although a part of the program, are not essential factors in determining students’ grades,” she said.

     Students have mixed emotions about the upcoming alteration. Sydney Bauer, an LHS junior and member of the soccer team, is happy about the change.

         “I’ve always done well in gym. I think it will just help my GPA,” Bauer explained. She doesn’t believe it will change her commitment to the class or to other classes.

         Hannah Rubinstein, a sophomore at LHS, does not like that P.E. will count toward GPA next year.

         “It favors athletic kids. Like me being personally not athletic, all it’s going to do is bring my GPA down,” said Rubinstein, who added that she feels it will hurt kids who don’t know as much about sports and are not as good at them.

         According to counselor Mrs. Judi Neuberger, students will not be able to take P.E. as a pass/fail course because it is a required class. However, varsity and junior varsity athletes will still have the opportunity to exempt.

         If students exempt from the start of the semester, they will not get credit for the class and it will not affect their GPA. If students exempt in the middle of a semester, their final grade will be whatever grade they had at the start of their exemption and they will receive credit for the class.