Coming into high school, most students want to take fun and unique classes such as Guitar, Gourmet Cooking, Cosmetology, Auto Tech and many more.

The problem is that most of the time, students don’t have time to squeeze in these other electives because they are required to take classes such as physical education.

A new solution to this problem has arisen and it’s technology.

In this day and age technology is improving continuously and allowing people to advance at a faster rate.
Taking Health and Physical Education online is an option for many students.

Taking H.P.E. online would benefit a large number of students that are looking to open spaces on their schedules or for students who transferred into FCPS and didn’t have enough H.P.E. credits to meet the Virginia state graduation requirements.

“The entire Online Campus program was created to help students who had limited access to some course options – either because they were too sick to come to school, or because the school didn’t offer a particular class that they were interested in,” Elizabeth Edwards, department head for online physical education at Fairfax County Public Schools, said.

Fairfax County’s Online Campus program added Health and P.E. nine and ten to their program in 2007, allowing students from every Fairfax County School to enroll.

Any FCPS student can take Health and P.E. online but not many know that it’s an option. Taking online courses should be more encouraged because having a conflicting schedule isn’t the only reason for taking an online class.
Some students are socially awkward or feel more comfortable completing assignments from the comfort of their homes.

This makes it easier for students to avoid uncomfortable classroom settings, especially when it comes to a class like P.E.

Physical education can make students feel uncomfortable because they feel like they’re being judged and often compare themselves to other students who might be more athletic.

This is why online classes are so beneficial, being able to work out at your own pace is much more comforting than doing it in front of 50 judgy teenagers.

Registering for an online class is fairly simple.

“If any student is interested in taking a course in the Online Campus, the student should speak with the school counselor when planning the course selections for the upcoming school year,” Edwards said.
Counselors will give you all of the information you may need when seeking to take an online course, whether it’s a world language, economics or H.P.E.

The H.P.E. online course program offers the same exact curriculum that you’d receive if you were taking the class in school. That way, you’re not missing out on anything that you’d be doing in school.

“I think it’s helpful that a program like this exists in our county. So many people have a hard time trying to figure out what kind of classes they want to choose because they don’t have enough room,” sophomore Hana Wasuge said.