For some Berkeley High School students, it can be extremely difficult to complete enough PE credits to graduate by the end of senior year. BHS mandates 4 semesters of PE credits to graduate. Students that don’t fulfill PE credits through BHS PE classes or school sanctioned sports have the option to turn to two different PE waiving methods. The first is an outside of school sport waiver, where students can achieve their credits through participating in an organized athletic program outside of school for a minimum of 5 hours per week and have it validated by a coach in the program. The other is the Youth Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) PE waiver route. Through a partnership between BHS and the Berkeley YMCA, students can complete PE credit requirements by doing a mix of group exercise classes and independent workouts.
Angelo Petrilli, the Youth and Teen Programs Coordinator at the Berkeley YMCA, is the director of this program. According to Petrilli, the YMCA has recently adjusted its PE credit structure, especially because of the pandemic. “Students have to earn 60 hours of credit for [the] PE requirement,” Petrilli said. “It used to be half group hours and half independent hours, but it's been a little different since coming back from the pandemic [since] we don't have as many group exercise classes… Right now, they have to complete 15 group exercise classes and 45 independent hours.”
The group classes available at the YMCA have options like HIIT (high-intensity interval training–a kind of exercise where one alternates between short bursts of intense exercise and brief resting periods), aerobics, and yoga. Independent hours can be spent doing various activities using the space and/or equipment provided by the facility. “Independent hours can be anything from playing basketball, lifting weights, running on the treadmill, to swimming.” Petrilli said.
Petrilli is additionally in charge of 5-10 minute monthly student check-ins and encourages students to get PE credits done as underclassmen. He shared, “I have a lot of seniors that are like, ‘I need this PE credit to graduate,’ and then they end up not passing my program just because they're busy with college applications, so I would try to get the PE credits done in sophomore year if possible.”
Sophomore Zoe Vecchiato Winemiller is a student that earned her PE credits through the YMCA program. According to Vecchiato Winemiller, one of the key advantages of the YMCA waiver program, for her, is the opportunity for a more personalized exercise experience, specifically with friends. This program provides a unique opportunity to combine exercise with social time, and for her, making it easier to stay active while hanging out with friends. As Vechiatto Winemiller said, “I felt really good about myself afterward because I wasn’t just hanging out with friends over food, I was actually getting exercise.” For avid athletes or active people, finding the motivation to work out or give it your hardest can be almost half the battle, and this environment can make earning PE credits way more enjoyable.