Strategies in Recreational PE is a class like no other physical education class on campus.
The class was added to Cal High’s course offerings last school year, and provides students with one year of PE credits.
This new class emphasizes the importance of empathy and community between Cal’s student body and Christine Niemoeller’s special education classes.
In Strategies of Recreational PE, general ed students support Niemoeller’s class by providing aid and encouragement.
Sports Medicine teacher Brad Bretzing and adaptive PE teacher Jeff Teach took on the roles of teaching Strategies in Recreational PE.
“The goal of the class is to create a sense of community,” Bretzing said.
The interaction between Niemoeller’s students and general ed students allows them to learn different skills compared to a traditional PE class.
“I think it’s been really good [and] eye opening [to] some of the students seeing some of the struggles that some other kids go through,” Bretzing said.
On a daily basis, Niemoeller’s students face different challenges compared to general ed students.
“We may not know [their struggles] fully and [knowing] helps us understand them better,” Bretzing said.
Junior Priya Mistry joined Strategies in Recreational PE last year to try something new and now it is one of her favorite
classes.
“I really enjoy just hanging out and having fun doing what I love, but also spreading my passion of PE toward other people who may struggle with PE,” Mistry said.
The class allows special education students to develop motor skills, such as catching and passing, while building long lasting friendships.
Karina, one of Niemoeller’s students, enjoys interacting with others and playing soccer during her PE class. The Californian is not including special education students’ last names and grades for privacy reasons.
“I love meeting new people,” Karina said.“They’re really nice [and] you could talk to them.”
Scotty, who is another one of Niemoeller’s students, enjoys playing basketball with his friends in Bretzing’s class.
Both of Niemoeller’s students mentioned the encouraging environment in the class.
From Bretzing’s class, students build their empathy skills when interacting with special education students.
“I think [this class] is a good idea so kids can get that leadership role of helping others,” sophomore Emma Hongkham said. “I feel like it breaks down the barrier of our ideas about special ed kids.”
With Bretzing’s support, students with different abilities can enjoy similar activities.
“It’s clear that Mr. Bretzing is dedicated to creating an inclusive and engaging experience for his students,” assistant principal Rhonda Taft said.
Aside from fun activities in the PE class, students also participated in an Easter egg hunt last year in the quad. Students from Niemoeller’s class each picked up five Easter eggs filled with candy.
“They just ran around the quad picking up Easter eggs,” Mistry said. “It was pretty simple and super fun. [Niemoeller’s students] enjoyed it.”
General ed students also interact with the special education students outside of the classroom. Aside from PE, students in the class can be seen high-fiving each other, hanging around campus together, and having special handshakes and other friendly interactions. During Halloween of 2022, many of the students trick-or-treated with each other.
With Strategies in Recreational PE being a relatively new class, Bretzing recommends other students enroll in it to help the class grow.
“It’s a really fun class to take and I’ve learned a lot from it,” Mistry said.
