Physical Education & Athletics
The physical education program fosters both physical and emotional development. Students participate in a variety of physical activities and appreciate the health-related benefits of physical movement. The curriculum focuses on the development of healthy behaviors and healthy decisions in addition to physical fitness. Athletic participation and physical education impact individuals’ lives, not just through competition, but through the underlying values that sports have to offer.
Lessons learned through athletic participation and physical education teach skills and values that go far beyond just a competition, activity or a game. It is the goal of the department to assist students in character development by teaching the values of humility, accountability, teamwork, work ethic, competition and fair play, and commitment. Students develop lifelong leadership skills, build respect and awareness for themselves and others, and learn how to overcome adversity.
Starting in Kindergarten, the elementary school program emphasizes the way in which students move through space and time in their environment, the way in which the student and a partner move in space together, the continuity and change in movement, and the manipulation of objects with accuracy and speed.
In addition to developing physical fitness and skills related to scholastic sports, including soccer, basketball and volleyball, the Grade 5–8 program emphasizes cooperation and teamwork to achieve a common goal, to meet challenges, to make decisions and to solve problems. Students may also engage in formal athletics programming, including competitive participation in independent school and Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) leagues in multiple sports.
By seventh and eighth grade and throughout high school, students engage in increased skill building related to individual sports and individual fitness goals. The school offers multiple seasons of sports with a full roster of athletic opportunities, including team and individual sports. Students are encouraged to participate in athletics as a way to engage in and contribute to their school community. Many students who have participated in athletics in high school go on to college and university, seeking both the community and the competition that their Convent & Stuart Hall sporting experience has provided them. Those who aspire to continue the student-athlete experience at the collegiate level are supported and celebrated throughout the recruiting process.