Human beings are embodied creatures. There is a reciprocal relationship between mind and body, and, if one intends to give a holistic education, care must be given to provide physical training. We want to develop excellence in all forms of human expression—the physical as well as the spiritual—precisely because all forms of excellence enhance a person’s existence while simultaneously giving glory to the Creator. But physical excellence has a dignity which is borrowed from the spiritual realm; therefore things of the spirit guide our school’s philosophy of physical education.
This distinctively classical and catholic philosophy of physical education manifests itself in our curriculum in a number of ways. It is imperative that physical education helps children become fit and graceful. The body is a reflection of the interior life furthermore the body in some mysterious way shapes the interior life. Therefore it is imperative that one’s external self is congruous with what the inter-self is intended to be. We wholeheartedly embrace the old adage mens sana in corpore sano “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” We are concerned, then, to teach wellness and foster that wellness through physical activity. Furthermore physical gracefulness and comportment are external expressions of an elevated dignity, and it is of great concern to inculcate such dignity in our students. Finally, physical education is intended to prepare our students for a life of sports. Sports, if engaged in the right way, is a wonderful venue for character formation. Through sports we learn endurance, patience, sacrifice, and teamwork. At St. Theresa Catholic School Physical Education is an essential part of mission to education the “whole person.”