Every year, the high school hosts a boys basketball tournament called SHIBT that lasts a week. Though this tournament does not cause conflicts with other classes, one big occurrence is how it conflicts with the PE department.

“We don’t get to be in the gym or use locker rooms, so I’m stuck in a classroom all day long and it’s extremely hard for me to sit still for that long,” Jamie Oshel, gym teacher, said.

“It’s hard to keep my classes focused because that’s their hour to go move and get their energy out. So it’s hard on me and hard on the kids,” Oshel added.

Each of the gym classes are required to find an area in the high school to continue the classes permitted by the principal. That also means those teachers have to come up with a new plan of what their students can do.

“We collaborate as a department, just all of us PE teachers. I stopped giving points this year that week so I don’t require kids to do anything,” Oshel said.

Depending on the class, the students might be given the opportunity to work on homework or to even still exercise. But many do not due to the lack of locker room availability.

“I think it’s good but also hard to work around when all your classes can’t [use the locker rooms]. So they have to change out somewhere else or wear gym clothes the whole day because you’re still going to be doing weight lifting and games,” Haylee Whitcraft, 11, said.

Those of the students that are taking weight classes this year usually stick to a vigorous workout plan each week without much of a break. This week of no exercise causes some of those scheduled workouts to be put on pause. 

“I don’t think we need a whole week off for working out because you could lose your motivation to work out during that time,” Whitcraft said.

There could be some solutions to these problems, but it really does come down to the school’s capacity.

“I wish we had a multi-purpose room that would be available, and we wouldn’t make [students] dress out, but [have] a location where students could do stuff. We have so many classes but not enough space,” Oshel said.

Both students and teachers have to adjust to this week and make the best of what they are given. However, it does give those students and teachers a mental break;it even gives students an extra study hall that they might need.