The school has introduced a new weightlifting class for the next school year. This class specifically caters to female students at and was created as a way for the girls to feel more comfortable in the weight room. 

The need for this new class is because many girls felt uncomfortable in Strength Training for quite some time. For many years weightlifting has been a largely a male dominated group, so it is no surprise when female students were daunted at the idea of entering the weight room of a male dominated class. This is especially true as the ratio of males to females is exponential. One example is Strength Training fourth period with Mr. Nelson. This class consists of 34 total students, seven of which are females. “It is a good idea (girls weight training) because it is more inclusive, and girls will not be as intimidated, and they will be more empowered to try new things and push themselves more. This is a promising idea that will create a more inviting and equal environment at this school,”current Strength Training student Katelyn Floren said.

As this has been a traditionally co-ed class, girls have struggled with feeling intimidated when choosing the physical education credited class required to graduate. This is especially an issue if there are few to no other spots in classes for P.E. and they have no choice but to sign up for Strength Training class. This is an issue because it forces girls to take the only class available, and this class creates a better environment for the female population at this school and shows as a step in the right direction to creating the most welcoming environment for all students at this school. “I think it’s a really fantastic idea and will create a much more inclusive place here at GP,” Makenzi Chavez-Puckett said.