Physical Education
Lakeside’s physical education (PE) program is designed to help students grow and develop physically, socially, and emotionally. Collaboration, resilience, and sportsmanship are emphasized in traditional and nontraditional games and activities. Our faculty are experienced educators who are passionate about helping students discover the joy and benefits of lifelong fitness.
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Middle School: Learning through play
The goal of the Middle School PE program is to help students develop a positive attitude toward physical activity that leads them to adopt a lifelong healthy, active lifestyle. Play, sports, and games become vehicles to teach students important life skills about teamwork, competition, and ethical behavior.
With classes four times a week, students have a regular opportunity to move and play in a fun, grade-level environment. Students practice skills and learn the basics of traditional sports (including soccer, basketball, and volleyball) as well as less traditional activities, like yoga, pickleball, and wall climbing. Faculty members promote a growth mindset, emphasizing the importance of hard work rather than talent in achieving individual goals.
Faculty in PE and personal development collaborate on issues related to health and social-emotional skills, including nutrition and the role that fitness plays in being healthy. Students set personal fitness goals and develop fitness plans. They use personal technology to track their activity, providing themselves and their teachers with data and information about how they are improving over time.
Learn more about Middle School PE in the Middle School curriculum guide.
Upper School: Fitness, health, and wellness
Lakeside Upper School’s physical education program focuses on fitness, health, and wellness. Upper School students take two yearlong PE classes. The 9th-grade wellness course, which debuted in 2016, integrates fitness activities with health and wellness instruction. The course aims to teach students about physical, personal, and social development with the goal of empowering them to be healthy, safe, and active.
Sophomores take a fitness-focused class. Through sports, games, and activities, they develop their flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular fitness.
Upper School PE classes take place in The Paul G. Allen Athletics Center, which opened in 2014.
Learn more about Upper School PE in the Upper School curriculum guide.
Photo by Adam Hunter.