At MBS, wellness courses teach students the importance and purpose of health and leadership. Starting this year, a new wellness requirement was established that will start with the Class of 2026. The previous junior wellness class titled “Integrated Health” is now a sophomore year requirement. By the time students graduate, it is mandatory that students have taken at least one wellness elective. This new wellness requirement is crucial for learning about the human body as well as just being fun classes to take.
According to Ms. Victoria Coates, Wellness Department Chair, “The new junior wellness requirements allows students to have a broader understanding of the human body and actions.” The department’s faculty believes that it is important for individuals to learn about certain topics in wellness before they graduate.
Most of the electives are semester courses with the exception of Fundamentals of Psychology Honors. These new classes are now offered to both juniors and seniors, with juniors receiving preference. They include: Abnormal Psychology and Counseling Theories, Introduction to Public Health, and The Psychology of Social Media. Some are returning courses including The Science of Happiness, Sports Medicine, Peer Group, and Nutrition, which is also offered to sophomores.
The new wellness requirements and electives for juniors are very important institutions of learning and guidance while being an enjoyable elective for them to partake in. Below are brief descriptions of each course.
- Fundamentals of Psychology Honors is taught by Mrs. Lori Kretten, Center for Teaching and Learning Faculty and Dean of the Class of 2026. It is an introductory course that covers the study of the mind and its behaviors. Some topics this class might review are development, learning, memory, and emotion.
- Abnormal Psychology and Counseling Theories will be taught in the Spring by Ms. Coates. The course will focus on the physiological disorders and the abnormal behaviors of certain individuals.
- Introduction to Public Health is a fall semester course with Ms. Coates. It provides students with understanding about issues affecting public health and allows students to focus on improving the overall health of individuals.
- Nutrition, another fall semester course, is taught by Ms. Coates. In this course, students will study food, its nutrients and the body’s utilization of these resources throughout life cycles.
