For almost every student in the Middle School, the swim unit is a horrifying three-week experience that leaves lasting trauma. Although the unit may seem like a regular class meant to teach students how to swim, I assure you that it does nothing but bring stress and uncertainty to Middle Schoolers. Why? Well, because of the water temperature, having to rush to get dressed and put ourselves together, and the timing of the unit. 

For starters, the Westminster pool water is nothing short of frigid. Sometimes, entire classes will beg their P.E coaches to skip swimming, offering to gladly run laps in exchange for not having to endure the cold waters. While the showers do provide us with some heat, we still have to completely dry off within the span of five minutes after getting out of the pool.

That brings me to my next point: the unit creates mayhem, with students running frantically to get dressed, do makeup, and do hair before their next class. We only have about ten minutes to get ready, so it is impossible for us to completely put ourselves back together again and still be on time to our next class. 

Not to mention the horror of spending the next class period with wet hair. A large percentage of girls in the Middle School have medium and long hair, so trying to somehow dry it and make sure that it doesn’t get in the way can become a struggle that no one wants to go through.

Combine soaking wet hair with the winter temperatures outside and you have a horrifying experience. Most of the P.E classes start their swim units when the temperature starts to drop, so we are forced to walk back to Clarkson Hall in excessively low temperatures. These cold conditions can lead to frozen hair and, in some extreme conditions, frostbite.

As you can see, the swim unit brings nothing but complete and utter dread for all Middle Schoolers. 

But it could be better. 

For starters, the pool temperature needs to be raised. This change will motivate more students to participate in the lessons and help them to feel more comfortable. This year, I have already noticed that the pool temperature has been raised slightly, being cold instead of completely frigid. If the temperature can be raised now, then why not raise it even more in the future too? 

Might I also suggest simply rescheduling the unit if the temperatures are supposed to drop below freezing. This policy would allow Middle Schoolers to have a quick, comfortable walk back to Clarkson Hall. Although scheduling seems hard to do, there are multiple units during warmer temperatures when the pool is not in use that could be replaced with the swim unit.

I believe that with these small adjustments, the swim unit could become a more effective and more fun experience for all of us, helping everyone see the best parts of swimming and diving.