The Power of Play

By second grade, students have mastered the basic building blocks and continue to develop and refine their gross motor skills. While keeping joy front and center, multisport play introduces new games and the ethos of sportsmanship to the curricula. Kids explore the various challenges presented by sports and improve their agility, balance, coordination, and speed.

• Handball
• Gatorball
• Soccer
• Hockey
• Lacrosse
• Basketball

By fourth grade, students have become physically literate and are ready to sample the variety of sports available in Middle School. They continue to enjoy both unstructured and structured play, thereby further developing their motor skills while continuing a strong association of fun and creativity with physical exercise. At recess, the playground is filled with activity, from climbing and cartwheeling to kickball and basketball. P.E. introduces warm ups like star jumps, mountain climbers, and planks before students get to dive into their sport unit. 

As core strength, endurance, and flexibility increase, students spend more time thinking and playing as a team. Team play progresses dexterity and fine motor skills, as well as game strategy, camaraderie, and collaboration. These skills are utilized not only on the court or field, but also in all areas of the students’ personal development. 

All Middle School students take P.E. In Grades 5 and 6, they cycle through the most popular sports, which are taught by the varsity team coaches. By sampling the breadth of athletics, students both expand their general skills, as well as begin to develop predilections for individual sports they would like to focus on. In Grades 7 and 8, the students get the opportunity to do just that by picking one sport each season. At the Middle School level, physical education is designed to help the students develop physically as well as mentally, and to give them the experience and the space to consider what they most enjoy. Their training has now expanded to include an emphasis on competition, as well as sport-specific fitness, strategy, and skill development. By the end of Middle School, students have a strong foundation for lifelong fitness, recreational sports, and a thirst for challenge and competition.

In Upper School, athletics can be accessed through a variety of routes such that each student has an option that suits them. There are eighteen sports offered at the JV and varsity level, as well as specialized P.E. courses, which allow students to add recreation to their day. Whatever the student’s goal, whether it is general fitness, specialization in one sport, or training to be a three-sport athlete, we provide the support and opportunities to do so. 

At Poly, we are student-athletes, not athlete-students. Because of that, our coaches are dedicated and passionate professionals who strive to help us win every game, and also understand that education is the top priority. Students learn to work hard in the classroom so they can play hard on the field. In Upper School, students have access to elite and individualized training so they can compete at the highest levels. 

Poly’s dedication to long-term athlete development is upheld by our state-of-the-art facilities. Our 25-acre campus houses almost all of our sports, while hockey and crew train and compete off the grounds. Our facilities include multiple playing fields, an all-weather track, a cardio training room, a strength and conditioning center, two indoor gyms, nine squash courts, a swimming pool, and a baseball and softball indoor training center.