Warrior Wellness: An inside look at Willowbrook’s Dance and Aerobic Activities class

Willowbrook students are working hard every day to become more educated with their health and wellness, and we are thrilled to showcase those accomplishments through this monthly column. In this edition, we are proud to highlight the Dance and Aerobic Activities class.

The dancers began the year with traditional fitness testing, setting goals and making plans to achieve them. The students also made inspirational vision boards to provide motivation. As a class, the students will work to get stronger and improve the average number of push-ups performed, as well as increase their lower body flexibility. Pictured above is Willowbrook junior Alejandra Lopez Sahagun performing the sit and reach flexibility test.

After fitness testing, the dancers started the Zumba unit, where they learned a variety of dance styles through this dance/fitness-based workout. The unit concluded with performances, as small groups led their own Zumba workouts for the class (pictured above).

We also were fortunate to participate in a self-defense workout with the U.S. Army and SSG Jacob Dipietro. Students enjoyed the empowering lessons in safety and awareness, and we look forward to future visits from the Army!

Our next unit will be choreographed dance, where the dancers will be taught a routine and then given the opportunity to make it their own and add some personal style. The dancers work hard to create a unique routine that will work for a variety of songs.

• The Warrior Wellness column provides an inside look into the physical education, health and driver education classes at Willowbrook. This feature will highlight what students are working on in the classroom, as well as student successes in those departments.