As the last bell rings to signal the end of the school day, Rebecca Zou ’24 quickly leaves class and goes straight to a five-hour ballet practice. Zou is a level VI ballet dancer, the highest level at Central New Jersey Ballet, and her week consists of at least 24 hours of ballet practice on top of the workload from multiple AP classes, Sexual Awareness and Prevention club meetings, and tutoring. To block out time in her schedule to do homework and relax, Zou participates in Option II for physical education.

Option II for physical education is an alternative pathway to complete physical education credits for PHS athletes that participate in rigorous physical activity outside of school. Athletes who participate in Option II report to the gym to take attendance, but have a free period instead of participating in the class. Instead, they need to maintain a log of at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week.

Six years ago, the Board of Education Student Achievement Committee and former Principal Gary Snyder noticed the large number of students both committing to high-level athletic activity and taking academically advanced courses. Soon after, the PPS Coaches Council began drafting the first version of the Option II guide.

“We've had students who were performing in New York as part of an intense ballet program and [some] participating in crew and trying to get a D[ivision] I scholarship, which is [all] very rigorous. Also, if you're a three season athlete [since] a lot of times in the past the seasons would overlap,” said Athletic Director Brian Dzbenski. “The mental health of our students became a [priority]. We wanted to do something for the students to try and give them some relief so that they'd have more time to commit to their studies.”

Over the years, the number of eligible students increased as the athletic department added more pathways to the program. Now, students apply for one of the five “paths,” which each describe a different criteria for Option II. For example, path A is for juniors and seniors that do three in-school sports, while path C is for juniors and seniors that do one in-school sport plus at least 150 minutes of off-season intense training .

“And then there's path E, which is for students who would not qualify for path A, B, C, or D. These are our students who are potential Olympians. They're at high-level training [beyond] the high school level,” Dzbenski said.

In addition to applying for a pathway, students also need to have a sponsoring coach that has the correct qualifications. Most people who are eventually rejected from Option II do not have a coach that has the correct qualifications. For varsity rower Bridget Mulligan ’24, this step in the process was slightly confusing, but rowing in a large organization helped her complete this step.

“You have to get certain documents from your coach. And especially if you don't know what [documents] they are, [it] can be really confusing. We were able to get it done pretty fast because [our organization] mass sends them out,” Mulligan said.

Student-athletes who participate in Option II have felt the intended benefits of the program. Their free period is not allowed to be used to take another class, so many use it to get work done or relax.

“It’s also nice to have that time during the day where instead of doing more physical activity on top of ballet, which seems so unnecessary, to have that little respite. I have a lot more free time during the school day that I can utilize to catch up on work that I've been missing,” Zou said.

Although Option II gives athletes a break from their school day, they miss a crucial opportunity to learn new skills and create new relationships with peers.

“If they’re a full time football player, maybe they’re not being introduced to the badminton and tennis skills. Athletes get pigeonholed into one sport and that's the only power they have, but when they play different sports, they have more diverse skills,” said PHS Gym Instructor Carlos Salazar. “Students also are missing out on the interpersonal relationships with students that are maybe not athletes and also the fun that comes along with not competitive sports but recreational fun sports, outside fresh air, sunshine, vitamin D, and great personalities from their PE teachers.”

Still, for most students, teachers, and community members, the benefits outweigh the cons. Option II allows students to have more control over their schedule to successfully balance multiple activities.

“We’re allowing the students to take responsibilities over their lives through Option II and so therefore, we’re trusting them to be using the time wisely and to fulfill the benefits that Option II was officially created with the support of the community at large,” Salazar said.

Those who wish to participate in Option II for the 2023-2024 school year should attend the Option II webinar at the end of this year for more information.