This course must be taken by all 9^th grade students and will incorporate both health and physical education components. Half of the class will be spent in the classroom covering Health curriculum and half the class will be in the gym or other facility covering physical education curriculum. Physical education is concerned with physical fitness and sports efficiency, including individual, group, and team activities. This portion of the course also stresses safety, skills, sportsmanship, and strategy of games and activities. Students are encouraged to develop and maintain a life-long fitness program. In the Health portion of the class, topics of self-esteem, emotional health, stress, peer pressure, health care, aging, grief, and coping with death will be covered. This course is designed to improve the general health and knowledge of freshman students. Students are required to change into athletic attire and sneakers and be prepared to raise their heart rates during moderate to vigorous physical activity.