A highlight of second semester for many seniors is the beginning of Senior Experience. Seniors have the opportunity to switch from their regularly scheduled three periods of class per week down to only one. The expectation is that outside of class seniors are filling out journal entries about their fitness and taking building independent fitness routines that they can continue beyond high school.
Both teachers and students are excited for this program to begin. Senior Physical Education (P.E.) teacher Albert Martucci explains, “I think it’s a great program that many other schools do not offer and it just allows the seniors to prepare for the real world and their fitness journey.” He feels confident that the past three years have taught students the skills required to build an achievable program without constant supervision that occurs in a typical class.
Students are taking advantage of the extra free time in school as well as the increased independence. Senior, Rachel Friendland (’25) describes how “this is the first time I’ve had a free period this year. The opportunity to get work done and meet with my teachers has really helped me.” She also noted how she feels that past classes led by Martucci have adequately prepared to write and execute workout independently.
Since beginning the Senior Experience program, Friedland has taken advantage of her independence, joining a local gym and going on daily walks with her friends and family.
However, not all students have the opportunity to participate in Senior Experience like Friendland. Eligibility is conditional. Students must have averaged an 80 or above in P.E. class during the first semester and must maintain this grade throughout the third quarter to remain in the program.
Prior to beginning senior experience, a student’s grade in P.E. is dependent on their participation in class. Each unit consists of around eight days in the gym–each worth ten points–and a twenty point assessment. They use the same ten point rubric for senior experience but instead focusing on if and how each student incorporates fitness outside of the classroom and the depth at which they explained their engagement.
In order to ensure that the largest possible percentage of students remain able to participate in Senior Experience, Martucci has worked to update the program, prioritizing accessibility and technological relevancy.
Martucci explains these changes in further detail, describing how “we now have the senior experience app, which makes it more accessible for students to submit their journals, which we believe is gonna increase the likelihood of them handing things in on time and the likelihood of their success.”
Moreover, the online journal simplifies the submission process for outside exercise and allows students access to reflect on their past workouts.
