Every student must obtain the basic requirements to graduate on time. Getting the right credits at the right time has turned into a game of sorts, a game that is stressful for some students. Some of this stress comes from the most complicated credit to receive: a gym credit.

      The simplest way to get gym credits is by taking a gym class. Yet, many do not have room in their schedule. There are other classes that students would rather take, such as a career tech, IB or even an extra science class. Fitting in gym among those things can be complicated. 

      Another option is being a part of a sports team through the school. Each student must be a part of a sports team through Glenoak for two years to receive their required credit. This includes marching band. This is an unrealistic goal for a large number of students. 

      There are a lot of students who participate in a sport outside of school. There is a very beneficial option for these students: PE Flex credits. 

      “PE flex credit was created for students who were doing sports outside of the school building,” counselor Heather Zapolnik says. 

      Flex credit is very popular for student athletes such as dancers, hockey players and countless others. Many students participate in a sport outside of school for many hours. They can earn their credits through flex credits. 

      “Typically the dancers here that do a lot more than some of our student athletes, they take the PE flex credit route because we are not allowed to count dance as a PE credit,” Zapolnik said. 

A good example of this are students who participate in competitive dance or do competitive cheerleading. 

      The process to receive flex credit is lengthy. Although, in the end, it is worth it. 

      ”There is an application that you have to apply to and you have to get a mentor to sign off, saying the activities that you are going to be doing, then you have to log hours and they have to sign off that you have done that. You have to submit goals to make sure it’s meeting the state of Ohio‘s PE standards,” Zapolnik said.

      While students do have to dedicate a lot of time to their sport and logging their hours, they will receive the required gym credit needed to graduate while doing something they enjoy.

Sophomore Meredith Conrad has been able to use flex credit to her advantage. She is a powerlifter and documents her time to get to required gym credits. 

      “All I do is, I have this Google spreadsheet and every time I go to the gym or I work out, I put the amount of time, what I did, and the date. I have to get 86 hours within the last nine weeks and this nine weeks,”Conrad said. 

      This is not the only other option for receiving gym credit. Summer gym is also a way for students to receive their gym credit. 

      “The district posted their summer school opportunities and they did put summer gym on there. Summer gym is also a way to do that. You have to pay for it because they have to hire a teacher to teach it,” Zapolnik said. This process is potentially beneficial for some students.

“Summer gym is an actual class with an online curriculum. It is the same program that you guys used to take your Health class, there’s actual work and assignments to complete,” Zapolnik said. 

      Taking summer gym is another option for many students who are not able to take a gym class or join a sports team. Both flex credit and summer gym are potentially beneficial alternatives to receive the required amount of gym credits to graduate. Neither are extremely complicated and allow students to fill their yearly schedule with other classes that they desire to take.