Physical Education

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School’s health and personal fitness department believes in physical activity for all participants while maintaining a healthy level of wellness for life, including intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. As Catholics, we strive to instruct the students about the importance of the total person, which deals with the mind, body, and soul. We aim to create an environment conducive to community. Students should have a holistic learning environment incorporating health-related fitness, skill-related fitness, and wellness for a healthy lifestyle.

We believe that a good quality physical Education program is essential for our students. Quality physical education provides students with a myriad of essential learning experiences that cannot be duplicated in the classroom. Some of the benefits of our physical education program here at Our Lady of Mercy are listed here:

1. An opportunity to teach character traits such as sportsmanship, teamwork, cooperation, encouragement, kindness, responsibility, self-esteem, respect for others, and so much more.

2. It gives students an additional arena in which to excel. Some students who struggle in the classroom may find increased self-respect and a new sense of respect from their classmates.

3. A quality physical education program keeps our students healthy through daily participation in the program, while teaching them the basic skills needed for future fitness and athletic success.

4. Quality physical education promotes long term health and wellness by making health and fitness fun, and by incorporating lessons on the importance of movement for overall health and disease prevention.

5. Reduces obesity and other health risks.

6. Research shows that a quality physical education program will increase standardized test scores.

7. Physical education can be used to enhance and reinforce learning across the curriculum.

8. Quality physical education involves every student, and meets every student at his or her level of ability. Good physical education emphasizes each individual's contribution and celebrates individual success while downplaying athletic competition. Our physical education focus is on participation and FUN... while we encourage extra-curricular sports activities for those who desire competition.

1.  Acquire movement skills and understand concepts needed to engate in health enhancing physical activity.

2.  Achieve and maintain a health enhancing level of physical fitness based upon continual self-assessment.

3.  Develop team building skills by working with others through physical activity.

4.  Understand principles of health promotion and the prevention and treatment of illness and injury.

5.  Understand human body systems and factors that influence growth and development.

6.  Promote and enhance health and wellness through the use of effective communication and decision making skills.