By Connor Hawthorne, Sports Editor
As graduation requirements are constantly changing, the list of required courses to graduate from River Hill is constantly in flux. This year, the newest addition to the list is Health II. All RHHS underclassmen now require two years of health rather than just one. While many students are aware of this change, they may not realize what the course entails. This semester marks the beginning of health two, as the first classes were taught this year. This provides valuable insights for those yet to take the class, and helps answer the question, what exactly is Health II?
The board of education decided to make two years of health mandatory for all graduating high school students. Many students reacted negatively to this announcement, voicing that they felt they had already learned everything they need to know to live healthy lives. Students at River Hill had spent years in health classes in both middle and high school and many viewed the extra year of health as redundant. Marcus Hadeed , a junior, explains how “That’s kind of the big issue of health, in 6th, 7th, 8th and ninth … it has been pretty much the exact same curriculum.” Despite the assumptions of many students, Health II introduces a completely new curriculum with a unique spin.
Previous health classes put a strong emphasis on individual health, with the goal being how to teach students how to lead healthy lives. Health II takes a different approach. Assuming the students themselves know how to take care of their health, it puts a strong emphasis on how health issues affect society and our communities. Ms. Kessinger, one of the health teachers here at River Hill, describes how “Health II is supposed to be less individual health and more community and global. I think there are some talking points in different areas that we cover.” She elaborates on this, explaining how the class teaches about inequities in health access and how “it’s really important for everyone to know that not just people who are affected by it, and work towards changing it.” Comparing Health I to Health II, she explains how “there are complex and deeper conversations to be had in Health II.”
Since this is the first year that Health II is offered here at River Hill, there have understandably been some struggles as both teachers and students alike adjust to the new curriculum. One challenge is that teachers have had to learn the curriculum as they go along. Ms Kessinger states that “It would have been nice to have had all the health teachers come in over the summer and talk about it.” She explains how “we already have planning and grading and everything else to do, much less going through everything in a new curriculum.”
Despite these challenges, students in Ms Kessinger’s class believe that they learned a lot. One thing Marcus enjoys is the low stress level of the class. Between learning about the societal impacts of health, he states how “There are occasional days where you are able to use it as a study hall.” Zain Shah, a junior, believes that the class has been beneficial to his understanding of how health issues impact not only him, but the society at large. He explains how “The assignments in health two they usually connect to society and community impacts, Ms Kessinger is definitely making an effort to demonstrate health effects on community and society.”
Despite some challenges, Health II so far has been a great success. Students have learned a lot, and next year the class will be better than ever. As Ms. Kessinger puts it, “There’s definitely stuff that wasn’t great, but we’ll get it better for next semester or next year as we continue to grow.”