Health & Wellness

This course is designed to provide updated health-related information, which will help guide students in making positive and informed decisions regarding their present and future well-being. A variety of topics are presented and typically fall under three components: Unhealthy and Risky Behaviors, Human Sexuality and Healthy Relationships, and Mental and Emotional Health. The class format is discussion-based with media presentations, outside speakers, group presentations, and activities. Freshman requirement.

Students learn how one’s body responds to various types of exercise by participating in fitness circuits that focus on muscular fitness, cardiovascular capacity, and flexibility. Students discuss the importance of proper technique and following basic principles in order to achieve maximum benefits. Throughout the year, students work together and participate in various team-building activities and team games. These activities provide students with an opportunity to work on communication skills, decision-making, cooperation, problem-solving, patience, and learning to support and encourage. Freshman requirement.

This course introduces students to a variety of topics and experiences that demonstrate how to live a sustainable, balanced lifestyle. Topics include, but are not limited to: nutrition basics: evaluating individual dietary needs, making informed decisions, and hands-on cooking; moral and physical decision-making: discussing complicated issues that teens are faced with – consent, underage drinking, vaping, social media, etc.; and physical lifetime activities: archery, racquet sports, golf, yard games, and volleyball, among others. Sophomore requirement.

The objective of this course is twofold. First, it is to provide juniors with critical information so they can better anticipate consequences, evaluate risk, and make informed decisions. At the end of the junior year, students will hopefully have a better understanding of themselves – on both a personal level and within the constructs of our society. We explore and discuss topics that include mindfulness, morality, consent, sexual assault, relationships, constructions of gender and sexual identity, sexual health, mental health, alcohol, and drugs. The second objective is to prepare juniors for the college process. They meet with their college counselors in the spring during scheduled class time. Junior requirement.

Seniors complete an online American Red Cross Blended Learning course in Adult and Pediatric CPR/AED and Basic First Aid.  In order to satisfy certification requirements, students need to physically demonstrate proper skills and knowledge during a practical session with a Thayer instructor. Upon completion of both components, students receive certification, which is good for two years. Students holding a current certification of the above are exempt from the course, as long as the expiration date does not precede graduation. Senior requirement.

The course includes classwork and hands-on application in the areas of prevention, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. Students learn the essential components of an effective sports medicine program and the different career options available. Students utilize video analysis and simulation in order to learn event preparation and emergency management of common injuries. Students receive an overview of anatomy, physiology, and kinetics as they apply to the science of sports medicine.

You “use” nutrition all day long when you make decisions about what to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. You just don’t realize those are actual decisions because you may not have been taught to think of eating in that way. Proper nutrition is such a mystery in our society, and there is so much misinformation out there. How are you supposed to know what is true and what isn’t? In this class, students learn what kinds of food to eat, when to eat them, and — more importantly — how to prepare those foods themselves! This course is hands-on and covers a variety of topics; the main idea is that students learn the right tools to take care of their bodies in a healthy and sustainable way. Other topics include food choices in today’s world; our food industry - from farm-to-table; and how to prepare and cook for one’s individual needs. Students evaluate recipes with the hope of creating a cookbook for other students to use and learning easy-to-make, go-to meal ideas they can use for the rest of their lives. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 12 students.