Personal Safety and Wellness is a new gym class being offered for the 2017-18 school year. The main goal of this class is to train students to use self-defense properly while also educating them on topics such as the portrayal of women in the media and how to avoid violence and unsafe situations.

Students will be trained by P.E. teacher Christina Krein, who is certified through the nationally-recognized Rape and Aggression Defense Prevention Program (RAD).

“When you think about self-defense, it applies to anyone, but I think a good target audience would be senior girls who are going to be going off, whether it be college or to a job, because they will be able to, hopefully, have those skills to take with them,” Krein said.

Instead of competitive sports that require physical activity, this class is focused on teaching the students how to protect themselves from harm. The class will teach the basic movements of self-defense, such as striking motions, kicks, strangulation, bear hug escapes and ground defense. The class will focus on understanding dangerous situations and learning how to maneuver your way out of them.

“We really want girls to come out of there feeling empowered, feeling like they can find a way to get themselves out of a dangerous situation physically and or vocally,” P.E. Department chairperson Courtney White said.

The class is being offered to all juniors and seniors. It does not exclude males; however, it is highly recommended for girls. Krein wants it to be a comfortable environment for the girls so that they can have serious discussions about topics such as sexual assault and harassment.

Junior Zoë Reynolds learned about this class when the P.E. teachers were giving the class registration presentation and is eager to start the self-defense class.

“They said that it was a class driven towards girls and helping to learn how to protect themselves in a lot of different situations” Reynolds said.

Similar to Stress Management, this class will have a classroom day that will address a variety of topics such as consent, assault, and gender roles. The rest of the week will include three days of self-defense and a day that will focus on physical fitness. This will include running and circuits, as well as other exercises focusing on developing physical strength.

Junior Erica Griesbaum is concerned about her safety when she goes off to college and wants to be prepared when she is living on her own. Knowing self-defense will prepare her for possible scenarios in the future.

“I’m looking forward to learning how to protect myself and I´m going to college. I’m going to be by myself so I want to feel safe walking down the street,” Griesbaum said.