Pictured is Mike Haussmann, Willowbrook Department Head for physical education, health and driver education.
Willowbrook students are working hard every day to become more educated with their health and wellness, and we are thrilled to showcase those accomplishments through this monthly column.
In this edition, we are proud to highlight one of our newer courses, Online Individualized Fitness. This class is available to juniors and seniors and has been very popular and successful here at Willowbrook. The course is scheduled during zero hour or 9th period (after school). Students buy and wear a heartrate monitor while working out and earn class credit based on their heartrate data. Students don’t meet regularly during the school day and are able to exercise and work out when it’s convenient for them.
The cognitive work in Online Individualized Fitness is the same as it is for any junior or senior class and is delivered electronically through Google Classroom. Students also are required to participate in a weekly discussion question, where they read and comment on other students’ responses and thoughts.
We recently incorporated some digital tools to help students record their responses and submit them through Flipgrid. Students began the semester by introducing themselves and sharing what they’re interested in and why they enrolled in Online Individualized Fitness.
I could tell you how great this class has been for many of our students, but I thought it would be better to hear firsthand from pupils why they took this course. Click on the photos below to watch their videos.
Our first student is junior Gwenavere Halik. Here’s her response to why she enjoys Online Individualized Fitness.
Our next student is senior Elizabeth Florey.
Our final student is senior Michelle Villalobos.
As you can see from these video testimonials, Online Individualized Fitness gives Willowbrook students an opportunity to take more electives and Advanced Placement (AP)/college-level classes, while still teaching them our fitness-based curriculum and allowing them to exercise in a manner they prefer and at a time that’s convenient for them.
Thank you for reading!
- Mike Haussmann, Willowbrook Department Head for physical education, health and driver education