When I was kid I earned quite a few “nicknames” from my teachers including pit bull and Joan of Arc. I was not a fan of bullies and little 7 year old me made sure they knew. The boys who pulled on pigtails got a lunchbox to the stomach while the boys who used bad words got a fist to the face. While this is not encouraged, what I was aware of from a young age was how important self defense was. Everyone should be able to know self defense and basic fighting techniques. The amount of girls I know who go to college, get a low security apartment and realize they don’t feel safe is huge. This is why I think Xavier should offer selfdefense as a gym class. Not only do you learn things that could save your life, it’s a form of exercise. It can also be therapeutic when dealing with anger or excessive amounts of stress. You can take out frustration in a healthy way instead of punching a hole in your drywall. It is useful for boys and girls in case they are ever in a dangerous situation. Plus, teachers can follow some pretty basic lesson plans online like from the YMCA or other gyms if they want to teach this as a class. Also, kids won’t have to worry about spending thousands of dollars on a course as soon as they move to college and have to live in a place with low security. Xavier already has a wrestling room and dummies/punching bags so why not? Instead of sending kids on energy drinks home to take out their anger and developing anger problems, they can take a class on how to use boxing in a healthy way. This class should discuss why fighting isn’t the best way to solve problems and how meditation and calming methods in a fight could be taught. In this day and age people are already taking these classes so why don’t we offer them while the brain is still developing?