While most would not think someone would learn in a classroom setting what food they should eat during exercise for the best athletic result possible, there is a new science class being offered for the 2014-2015 school year where students can learn just this.

According to the IB course outline, IB Sports Exercise and Health Science SL covers topics including anatomy, exercise physiology, the body’s energy systems, biomechanics, psychology and nutrition, and the evaluation of human performance, which are studied in the context of sport, exercise and health.

Junior Abby Klugman said she would like to take this class because she is curious about the course material.

“The topics it’s covering seem interesting,” she said. “It has a lot of medical related topics, which is something I’m interested in learning about, like anatomy and physiology.”

The Minnesota State Department of Education requires students to complete 3 full years, or 6 credits, of science classes in order to graduate, including a full year of biology. Also, students in the graduating class of 2015 and beyond must complete either a chemistry or physics course as well.

For registration purposes, IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science SL is currently listed as a two-semester science elective available to upperclassmen. However, science teacher Jessica Gust, who will be teaching the course next year, said it will still be seen as a science course on students’ transcripts.

“It cannot replace any of the required science courses, but it can be used as a fourth year science or double up,” Gust said. “It is a science elective, just like Environmental Science. On your transcript, it doesn’t list departments. It would be viewed as an IB science class to colleges.”

For the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, it is a Standard Level (SL) course. The new class falls under the IB Group 4, which are the experimental sciences. This puts it under the same IB designation as IB Biology HL and IB Physics SL, according to Gust.

Gust said last year was the first year it was able to be taught in schools and this year, 2014-2015, would be the first year students would be able to test for it. She said this class came to the attention of the science department about 6 years ago, causing teachers to advocate for the course.

“We (the science department) were the ones who wanted it,” Gust said. “It’s a super cool class to have. It’s great for an applied science and very real life. It’s going to be very applicable to the population of kids who sign up for it.”

Sophomore Max Kent said he is thinking about taking this class next year because he appreciates the way it would be different from other classes he has taken at the high school.

“It sounds like a good change of pace from normal class,” Kent said. “Instead of sitting in a classroom for 45 minutes and learning about topics you have been studying all your high school career, you can learn about yourself and how you work.”

Junior Nicky Owens said he is interested in the new class because he wants to know more about how exercise relates to the body.

“I enjoy science and thought that this is a new science that hasn’t been approached in other science classes before,” he said. “Being someone that exercises and is active a lot, I think it’s a good way to understand what I’m doing with my body.”

Gust said she is most excited about bringing a connection to athletics in the classroom.

“I’m really excited to give kids an opportunity to understand their bodies better, understand the demands of their sports better, and learn tools to be lifelong athletes,” she said. “The kids who are going to take it are going to bring a really cool energy to the class.”