FORMING HEALTHY MINDS, BODIES AND SOULS

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March 16, 2026

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Guided by science, faith and a commitment to lifelong wellness, Notre Dame Prep’s physical education program seeks to form students intellectually, spiritually and physically.

Across the United States, public health researchers increasingly warn that young people are not moving enough. The 2024 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth found that American children receive an overall grade of D- for physical activity levels, with only 20% to 28% of youth ages 6 to 17 meeting the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

Those numbers reflect a broader shift in modern childhood. Screen time, academic pressures and increasingly sedentary lifestyles have all contributed to declining physical activity. Yet research consistently shows that movement is essential not only for physical health but also for learning and emotional well-being.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) notes that regular physical activity among children is linked to improved concentration, stronger academic performance and better brain functioning. In fact, students often show improved concentration on classroom tasks immediately after engaging in physical activity.

Such findings reinforce what many educators have long understood: the mind and body are deeply connected. Schools that prioritize physical education are not taking time away from learning — they are strengthening it.

At Notre Dame Preparatory School, that principle is woven into a comprehensive physical education program spanning the lower, middle and upper schools.

Building skills for a lifetime

For Bobbie Hall NDP’00, chair of the physical education department and an upper school PE and health teacher, the goal is far larger than simply helping students complete a gym class requirement.

“I would describe our curriculum as building physical skills,” Hall said. “We start with locomotive skills and basic coordination, and those skills are applied to simple games throughout the elementary years and even into some of the middle school years. As the kids develop, we gradually become more advanced.”

The program progresses deliberately as students grow. Younger students develop coordination and movement fundamentals. In middle school, those abilities become more refined. By the time students reach high school, instruction includes advanced training concepts such as body awareness, strength development and wellness education.

“On the physical side, we want kids to love that kind of activity,” Hall said. “We want them to understand the concepts and learn how to apply them across their lifetime.”

Health education is equally important. Students study nutrition, emotional health, safety and decision-making.

“These students are going to be making their own decisions,” Hall said. “They need to be educated. I want them to question everything, learn as much as they can and be able to apply it to their lives.”

The philosophy reflects a growing national understanding that physical education must extend beyond traditional team sports. Experts increasingly emphasize lifelong wellness habits and personal fitness skills that students can carry well into adulthood.

A program informed by research

For Hall, the current national conversation about declining youth activity levels is both concerning and motivating.

“These statistics frustrate me as a parent and as an educator who understands the difference between an active brain and a sedentary brain,” she said. “Research consistently shows that physical activity is a biological requirement for optimal learning, yet we continue to decrease it in schools for the sake of ‘more cognitive learning’ in the classroom. It is doing our growing children a disservice.”

The science she references is well established.

Research cited by public health organizations shows that exercise directly supports executive function, the brain’s command center responsible for focus, memory and cognitive flexibility. Physical activity also stimulates growth in the hippocampus, the part of the brain critical to long-term memory.

“Many studies from different health journals show that physical activity directly enhances executive function,” Hall said. “Exercise supports the growth of new neurons within the brain, specifically the hippocampus which is critical for long-term memory.”

She also points to research showing that students often perform better academically after participating in physical activity.

“Even classrooms that integrate movement into their lessons show that students have more cognitive improvements than students who are in traditional seated environments,” she said.

Such findings align with the broader research consensus that schools are uniquely positioned to promote healthy activity habits. Because children spend so much of their day in school, experts say physical education is one of the most effective ways to help them achieve recommended activity levels.

Balancing structure and play

While structured physical education is essential, Hall believes unstructured play is equally important in child development.

“Play time is also important for students to learn problem-solving skills and even create their own rules within game play,” she said.

In fact, educators nationwide have observed declining problem-solving abilities among students, a trend some researchers attribute in part to reduced opportunities for free play.

“Teachers nationwide are seeing a downward trend in students' ability to problem solve and think critically,” Hall said. “Unstructured play is one way to help them learn these skills.”

Students benefit from the opportunity to experiment, make mistakes and learn from experience.

“There should be a good balance and plenty of opportunities for both structured and unstructured play for kids,” Hall added.

Strength training and the weight room

One of the more distinctive elements of Notre Dame Prep’s physical education program is its emphasis on strength training and movement mechanics.

Over the past four years, the school has incorporated daily weight-room training for all freshmen as part of their physical education curriculum.

“This class is required for all freshmen and with the block schedule, we see them two to three times per week,” Hall said.

During the first semester, students focus on mastering three foundational movements: the bench press, squat and hip hinge. The emphasis is on form, technique and confidence.

“Our goal first semester is to introduce them to the big three movements, work on form and technique, and take away the intimidation factor that some may feel if they have never been in a weight room,” Hall said.

Once students are comfortable with those movements, the program gradually increases resistance training.

“Second semester we start adding more load to start building strength and endurance in the lifts,” she said.

The approach is designed to teach proper movement early, helping students build confidence and develop healthy exercise habits.

“Getting the students in the weight room at early ages helps build their movement and coordination, can boost their mood and build confidence in addition to helping them build this healthy habit that they hopefully stick with for the rest of their lives.”

The weight-room component has also expanded into middle school programming. Eighth-grade students now receive an introduction to the weight room during their PE rotation, and certain athletic teams train regularly throughout the year.

“We believe our consistency in the weight room helped the success of our athletic teams this season,” Hall said.

Hall also wanted to give credit to the school's strength and conditioning coach, Christian Polega. 

"Our department's use of the weight room wouldn't be what it is without Christian," she said. "I am lucky to have such a great working relationship with him and to be able to let go of a piece of curriculum and trust him with building it is a blessing. He is so knowledgeable and always learning more and NDP is blessed to have his experience and knowledge benefiting students in our department and the athletic teams that utilize him on a daily basis."

Mind and body wellness

Another popular option for upper school students is the Mind and Body Wellness course, more commonly known as yoga.

The class has been part of the curriculum for nearly a decade and continues to draw strong student interest.

“Yoga classes have been available for 10th through 12th graders for about seven or eight years already,” Hall said.

The course teaches mindfulness, meditation and physical movement designed to promote balance and recovery.

Students learn how to “be mindful and present with themselves, meditate to calm their mind and body, and also to move their bodies in a way that may be different than they are used to,” she said.

The benefits extend beyond flexibility or strength.

“Some classes are geared toward strength and some toward a nervous system reset,” Hall said. “Both of these and everything in between have proven to help our students both on and off the mat.”

Teaching through the school mission

At Notre Dame Prep, physical education also is integrated with the school’s Catholic and Marist mission.

“The first way we do this is starting and/or ending each class with prayer,” Hall said.

Students are encouraged to share intentions and support one another in a spirit of community. “It’s not meant to be a formality or something to just check off,” she said. “It’s part of the routine because it matters.”

Faculty members also strive to model respectful communication, empathy and service to others.

“We work to create an environment where we all learn to communicate clearly and kindly, ask questions and listen for understanding rather than just to prepare a response, come from a place of love and service toward one another, and learn to lift others up, even in competition,” Hall said.

As an alumna of Notre Dame Prep’s Class of 2000, she understands the school’s mission firsthand.

“We do our best to meet students where they are and guide them the best we can based on Marist and Catholic teachings,” she said.

A department-wide commitment

The strength of NDP’s program extends beyond the upper school.

Patrick Battani, who teaches physical education in the lower school, focuses on creating an engaging environment for younger students.

“I am constantly developing new activities for each class, which gives the kids fresh new activities to get excited about,” Battani said. “If the kids are having fun, then I am having fun.”

Battani, now in his 52nd year of teaching, still approaches each class with enthusiasm.

“I try to get a look at each class before they come to gym, which helps me get in sync with their energy level that day,” he said.

Middle school teacher Jerry McGhee likewise emphasizes character development alongside physical skills.

“I think it's important to understand the stage of life and development that the middle schoolers and high schoolers are going through and helping them navigate through it making good decisions,” McGhee said.

The school’s mission provides an essential framework.

“The people here are kind and Christ-centered, which helps keep me engaged,” he said.

Looking toward the future

Even with a robust program already in place, Hall continues to think about how it might grow.

One goal is to introduce weight-room instruction even earlier in students’ education.

“Getting students started in the weight room beginning in sixth grade to learn how to move and just get used to being in there would take away any intimidation factor,” she said.

Expanding that effort would likely require additional space in the school’s fitness facilities.

“For us to be able to accomplish getting sixth- and seventh-grade PE classes in the weight room, we would need an expansion to be able to get more than one class in there at a time,” Hall said.

The long-term benefits, she believes, would be significant.

“The earlier we can get them in there to learn how their body moves and what it can do, the better their development can be over time.”

Forming the whole student

As national research continues to highlight the consequences of inactivity among young people, Notre Dame Prep’s physical education program stands as an example of what a comprehensive approach can look like.

It blends science, skill development, wellness education and faith formation into a curriculum designed to shape healthy habits for life.

Ultimately, Hall hopes students leave with more than physical strength.

She hopes they leave with confidence, self-awareness and a lasting appreciation for movement.

“We want them to understand why physical activity is important for their health,” she said. “And we want them to carry that understanding with them long after they leave our building.”

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.