For physical education teacher Pat Adamatis, the fight to raise awareness to students like Swahlstedt about adapted P.E. is a 14 year battle which she is still fighting. 

     “I want to get the message out there that it’s not just special education,” Adamatis said.  “It’s really more like regular P.E.,” Adamatis said.  “We do everything that a regular gym class does.” 

     According to sophomore Matt Sevilla, who has been in both regular P.E. and adapted P.E., the main difference between the two classes is the attitude of the students in the class. 

     “The kids in regular P.E. classes are more worried about themselves,” Sevilla said.  “You don’t get the same positive vibes that you get from (the peer helpers) in adapted P.E.” 

     The peer helpers Sevilla refers to are students who choose to become helpers in the adapted P.E. program and are willing to operate on the same page as Adamatis. 

     “It’s a huge benefit to have peers that are helpful because they are role models for the kids,” Adamatis said.  “The kids feel accepted into the school, and they become involved in school because they have the confidence that people are behind them.” 

     Helping students gain confidence and be successful is what Adamatis calls her “success breeds success” theory. 

     “I try to make activities where a kid can be successful and can be the hot shot,” Adamatis explained.  “That just builds up confidence that hopefully carries over into life and to their other classes.” 

     For students like freshman Eric Lintner, adapted P.E. offers a positive alternative to what could otherwise be a negative experience in regular P.E. 

     “I’m not the athletic type, and (adapted P.E.) is not as hard as a regular gym class, because you don’t get graded on skill,” Lintner said.  “It works because some kids need more help than others. 

     Perhaps the one person who knows the complete P.E. experience better than anyone else at Central is junior Blake Baumgartner.  Baumgartner has been in regular P.E. and in adapted P.E. both as a student and now as a peer helper.

     In his first semester of freshman year, Baumgartner was in regular P.E. but decided a change was needed when the pace of regular P.E. was beyond his capability. 

     “When you look at a regular gym class and you can’t play up to speed, it becomes frustrating,” Baumgartner said. 

     To accommodate his needs, Baumgartner switched into adapted P.E. where he felt they “slow it down and place the emphasis on effort, not ability.” 

     After two years as a student in adapted P.E., Baumgartner felt he would be better suited as a peer helper in the adapted P.E. program.  Now, in his first semester of being a peer helper, Baumgartner feels he has good advice to share because he was once in the students’ position. 

     “I try to not let them get down on themselves so they keep plugging away,” Baumgartner said.  “It’s a learning process, you don’t put a negative spin on things; constructive criticism, nothing bad.” 

     While Baumgartner is still a rookie peer helper, Swahlstedt has been working as a peer helper in adapted P.E. his entire junior year. 

     “I love it,” Swahlstedt said.  “I think everyone should have a similar experience.” 

     Swahlstedt feels so strongly in favor of the adapted P.E. program because he feels that “you are opened up to a lot of personalities of students you wouldn’t get to see in the hallways.  I think some kids may not be getting this support anywhere else, so I like to think some kids look forward to having gym.” 

     For Adamatis, watching students experience understanding similar to Swahlstedt’s is what she enjoys most. 

     “I enjoy watching peers grow up and grow into caring adults,” Adamatis said.  “Caring about people who are not as fortunate as they are, being tolerant of other peoples' differences and learning that really everybody’s the same.” 
 

     “Every kid should have some kind of experience like this with kids in need,”  Swahlstedt said.

     For more information about adapted P.E. at Central as well as photos of class activities, visit their web site at www.ncusd203.org/central.  From there, go to table of contents, then academics, then adapted P.E.