Rollerblading

Rollerblading is a Physical Education course that teaches students the basics of rollerblading and allows them to practice their rollerblading, both indoors and outdoors. This class, taught by Mr. Lawrence Barth, is during first period for juniors and third period for seniors. Instead of using the regular gym locker rooms, this class uses the lockers on the 1st floor by the student lounge.

Curriculum
The first few classes consist of giving out equipment (though if a student chooses, they can bring their own), explaining the rules, regulations, and other important things to know, and teaching and practicing basic rollerblading, such as side-to-side motion and braking, in the sixth floor gymnasium. Later on, more advanced skills such as the front and back crossover are taught as well. After the first few classes, they are held outdoors in front of the school besides West Street. Here, veteran skaters can rollerblade around a "middle" area, where novices continue to practice getting used to being on skates and other rollerblading basics. After a few weeks of this, the class goes rollerblading to the downtown area. The rollerblading path takes students along the Hudson River, as they pass Rockefeller Park and the World Financial Center, and then back via mostly the same path. On rainy or other unfavorable days, either the class is held in the sixth floor gymnasium or a maintenance lesson is held on the first floor by the lockers. In a maintenance lesson, as Mr. Barth demonstrates, all students takes apart a wheel(s) on their skates, cleans them up, and tightens them if they are loose, to prevent them from wearing out as well as being unsafe.

Teaching style
Mr. Barth is generally laid-back. When he gives a lesson, usually about rollerblading techniques, he explains how to execute the technique or trick, as well as demonstrating it. Then he gives the class time to practice it. While the class is skating outdoors or indoors in the sixth floor gymnasium, he usually skates alongside his students at his own pace, as he watches out for them. He also advises students to skate in pairs to be safer.

Lateness policy
The lateness policy for this class is similar to the other physical education classes. Coming to class unprepared and/or late too many times will result in a failing grade, though Mr. Barth can be slightly lenient at times. In addition, to allow more time for skating, the class is treated as if it began at 7:55 and all students must be ready to head outside or upstairs by 8:01. If a student does not arrive on time or before the rest of the class goes outside (or starts skating), they must wait by the benches near the lockers until the class returns at the end of the period and cannot skate with the class that day. If a student arrives late, and the class is no longer present at the lockers, they should also check the sixth floor gym, especially on a day not suitable to skate outside on, in case the class is skating in the gymnasium instead of outside. In this case, the student should get changed to skate, rather than sit near the lockers for the rest of the period.