Traditional physical education classes at SIS are mostly held on campus, and the limited equipment often restricts the course’s activities and curriculum. However, Advanced Sports and Recreation (ASR), an optional PE class that students can participate in during their Junior or Senior years, goes beyond the confines of the school campus. The course explores various recreational activities like surfing, bowling, climbing, skiing, ice skating, and more. On Aug. 30, the ASR class visited Wave Park, Asia’s largest surfing park located in Siheung City, and participated in a one-day surfing recreation class trip, one of the first off-campus activities of the year.

“As students move through middle school, there is a focus on specific skill development in different sports,” Mr. Yannakakis, ASR director, said. “With Life Sports, it’s not only the skills, but also the dynamics within a team, so the focus shifts more to the strategy, the technique, the communication, and the collaboration within a team. Finally, in ASR, the focus is to access alternative forms of physical activity. For the last few years, I’ve had students who’ve graduated come back and say they actually continued with activities such as climbing or surfing. It definitely is a way to give them memorable experiences and opportunities to engage in different forms of activities, and continue leading a self-driven active lifestyle.”

The small group of around 10 students were able to socialize, have fun, and support each other. Each student had an opportunity to wait in line for their turn to experience the replica surf waves at the park.

“I feel like the surfing trip was definitely exciting because we usually wouldn’t go off campus unless it was for hiking in PE classes,” Yura Yoon (12), ASR student, said. “It was new and refreshing because we were able to be off campus the entire time, and it allowed us to interact with other students and get closer to people in different grades.”