High schools waste time with foreign language, fine arts and gym requirements.

I am debating that these classes should be required to a higher degree as they are far more valuable than you realize. The benefits to society outweigh the cost. "You can imply momentary value to the appreciation of fine arts. For at the age you are given these requirements, on the most part, appreciation for art and the class is a preset opinion." The facts are clear,exposure to Fine arts before the high school level is the exception not the rule. The exposure they do receive is rudimentary at best. Studies have shown that exposure to The Arts are extremely beneficial to the development of critical thinking and math skills. These classes help with the academic performance in other areas. Below I will share some facts with sources to show a clear value in fine arts programs simply put the requirement of fine arts creates more intelligent higher scoring and more desirable college students. The College Board identifies the arts as one of the six basic academic subject areas students should study in order to succeed in college. Academic Preparation for College: What Students Need to Know and Be Able to Do, 1983 [still in use], The College Board, New York Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 showed that music participants received more academic honors and awards than non-music students, and that the percentage of music participants receiving As, As/Bs, and Bs was higher than the percentage of non- participants receiving those grades. NELS:88 First Follow-up, 1990, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington DC Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation. College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ: The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001. As For the Comments on Lunches, School environment and Physical Education The debate is not weather or not the school promotes a healthy lifestyle it is specifically remarked to the value of Physical Education and that class's specific role in increasing activity among teens. As well, it must be stated that by the time you are faced with a high school physical education class you are already fine tuned into future health habits. There is little to no evidence to suggest that P.E. creates a healthy lifestyle. There is also no evidence to state with without P.E. students would be couch potatoes. "I absolutely refute your statement that physical education is the cornerstone to activity and is quintessential to health" You Need facts to refute a statement the facts are clearly in support of My arguments. Adolescents who participate in physical education at school are more likely to maintain a normal weight as young adults, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For each weekday of physical education at school the odds of being an overweight adult decreased by 5 percent. Participation in all five days of physical education decreased the odds of being an overweight adult by 28 percent. The study is published in the January 2008 edition of the journal, The American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend physical education at all grade levels. Here are the facts from the CDC: Only 19 percent of all high school students are physically active for 20 minutes or more, five days a week, in physical education classes. Daily enrollment in physical education classes dropped from 42 percent to 25 percent among high school students between 1991 and 1995. Well designed school-based interventions directed at increasing physical activity in physical education classes have been shown to be effective. Social support from family and friends has been consistently and positively related to regular physical activity. BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints. Helps control weight, build lean muscle, and reduce fat. Prevents or delays the development of high blood pressure and helps reduce blood pressure in some adolescents with hypertension These facts clearly demonstrate that Required Physical Education and Fine Arts classes such as Music are extremely beneficial and the benefits by far outweigh the costs.