“Man from Mars, Man from Mars, can you take us to the stars?”
“Only if you’re wearing the color blue!” yelled back the “Man (or Woman) from Mars,” otherwise known as the tagger.
Most kids would walk to the other side of the gym, safe from the Man from Mars. The majority of kids would have some sort of blue on their clothing as first graders. Some may try to point at a tiny blue stripe on their shoe and argue that it should count as blue, to which the Man from Mars would let them pass.
For the unlucky students without blue on, they had to run across without being tagged by the Man from Mars.
I love the game “Man from Mars” because I am a relatively fast runner with adequate endurance (I remember being one of the last kids still standing after the FitnessGram PACER Test), so I would usually do well in the game. I still remember my crazy juking, where the tagger’s fingertips would skim my shirt while I made a sharp turn, successfully escaping the tagger.
I used to joke that recess was my favorite class in Lower School. Now, in Upper School, recess is still one of my favorite classes.
Disguised with its requirement to wear sneakers and the grade associated with the class, Physical Education (PE) is my recess. It’s my break from expectations, tests, and my growing to-do list.
Although PE is not leaving MFS, Upper School PE probably won’t ever be the same as it once was after this year. As Upper School Director Noah Rachlin announced, there will be a new scheduling change to PE, where a quarter of PE is exempt if a student participates in a school sport. There will simply be fewer students enrolled in PE.
I will still be enrolled in PE for two of the four quarters (with one quarter for Health class) as varsity fencing would exempt me from one quarter. But for the majority of the year, I will most likely be in a smaller PE class compared to this year. Perhaps the energy of the class will simmer, since many of the students who participated enthusiastically in PE class are athletic and on many sports teams.
When I was younger, I dabbled in sports; I took tennis lessons during the summer (because my sister did it) and did a Learn to Row course at South Jersey Rowing Club (my legs are still sore thinking about it). But I never actually committed to a sport and played in a team growing up.
PE is my form of a sports team. Playing on an actual team was daunting for Lower and Middle School me — I always felt like I was too old to start — so PE was a safe haven for me to experiment with sports, play on a team (even if it would only last for one class), and have fun with my classmates.
I have always labeled myself as laughably unathletic; I struggle to kick the ball past the pitcher during kickball, having more than a four-shot rally in tennis was a miracle, and I am absolutely terrible at throwing balls. I have made hundreds of mistakes playing games in PE, but I have always felt welcome and accepted by my classmates.
When I think about the community at MFS, I can’t help but think about PE class. As someone who has been at MFS since Pre-K, I have quite literally grown up with my classmates. PE was our bonding time, even if it was forced upon us. PE unlocks a new side of our class, whether we like it or not. Stepping into the gym or walking on the fields with the class and a booming speaker seemingly turns on a switch of relaxation, camaraderie, and energy. We owe our connection with each other to PE class.
I observe my classmates’ characteristics through PE. I know which sports certain students excel in. I’ve learned my classmates’ catchphrases and signature dance moves. PE brings out our inner child, even as teenagers approaching adulthood, and I don’t think we are that much different than who we were before.
Playing games, laughing, dancing, and singing are all things we’d do when we were kids that we still do instinctively during PE. We still celebrate when we have PE last period. During PE, I see glimpses of our past selves in Lower School. It is oddly familiar to me.
I think I realized how truly happy I am during PE class this year, during the infamously stressful junior year, when I am bombarded with assignments and pressure. My PE class often has PE in the first half of the day, meaning I usually have major classes after PE. While I may be nervous for an assessment coming up, playing volleyball and laughing after every imperfect rally without giving my approaching Biology test a thought truly heals me in the moment and beyond.
Every single PE teacher at MFS carries themselves with positivity and energy. They are some of the most supportive and easy-to-talk-to people at MFS. I find myself chatting with Assistant Athletic Director and Upper School PE/Health Teacher Bryan Wright about his weekend while we do warm-ups or our favorite activity, “Perimeter Walking,” where Wright walks around the gym, literally, for the entire period, while somehow still refereeing from the other side of the gym. PE class is not the same without their spirit.
Change is difficult. I’ve learned this first-hand by experiencing high school as I’ve changed my friends, interests, and myself. But I welcome change as it is inevitable for growth. From my conversations with my advisor, Middle School and Upper School PE/Health Teacher Michael Brunswick, I knew this change was in the works for a long time. I think this scheduling change is positive, but it is impossible to recognize without acknowledging that PE classes will be different than before.
From learning how to play sports I would have never tried without PE, making mistakes, and making friends, I am forever thankful for everything PE has done for me.
