VERGENNES, Vt. -
At Vergennes Union High School, phys ed options are undergoing an extreme makeover.
"It's not just shoot hoops or throw dodge balls at some kids," said Steven Paquette, a senior.
Today, these students are tackling well-balanced workouts. The 80-minute class starts with a warm-up. Then these seniors take on personalized fitness plans they've put together with their "teacher trainers."
"It's pretty good because it is something I can use in the future. Say I go to the gym, it's like, oh I did this in high school. It's something I could do outside of school when I am in college potentially," said Daniel McGrath, a senior.
The individualized plans in the popular personal fitness elective emphasize everything from weight training and cardio to healthy eating and setting goals.
"Sometimes when you are working by yourself, you're like oh, I'm done, I can't do this anymore, but when Ms. Cook is pushing you, you can, you can, you just push yourself and you keep going," said Molly Ambrose, a senior.
"This is great for all skill levels, all abilities. Anybody can do this and they really feel a sense of accomplishment when they reach their goals," said Sarah Cook, a PE teacher.
In this class, results matter. Teachers are regularly monitoring endurance and flexibility with students, they're also using wristwatches that monitor their heart rate throughout a workout.
"If your heart rate is low, you just got to work harder. You can tell that easily just by looking at your watch," Paquette said.
"It is really useful because you can keep track of what you're doing, and you're not just guessing to see if you are in your zone," Ambrose said.
Inside this gym, varsity athletes train side by side with students who excel in other ways, but together they're getting fit and having fun, and sharing similar feelings before heading back to class.
"Surprisingly, I feel more awake. You would think I would feel more tired, but after class, you go shower, change out of these clothes. It feels really nice, it feels like you just woke up in the morning," McGrath said.
"I am more awake than I was in math class an hour ago," Ambrose said. "But most of it is like, do I smell OK?"
The personalized fitness class meets every other day for 18 weeks.
The personal training program got off the ground thanks to hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants over the last few years.
Students are graded in the class based on how well they do implementing their own fitness plans.
