The surfing physical education (P.E.) class at Point Loma High School (PLHS) became a reality this year when it was approved as an official class. As a result, it became the San Diego Unified School District’s only surf P.E. class, said school officials. “We tried to get it started for years, but it all came together when our principal, Bobby Samilson, went out on a limb and made it happen. Props to her,” said surf P.E. teacher John Murphy. The class starts at 6:45 a.m. Mondays through Fridays and meets at Tower 2 in Ocean Beach. It runs until 7:45 p.m., which allows the students enough time to get to period 2 on campus by the 8:27 a.m. start time. The current class has about 40 students in all grades. Many of the kids are also part of the after-school surf team in Ocean Beach/Point Loma. The surf team is a high school club sport that competes against other surf clubs in the area. According to Murphy, the biggest obstacles in getting the surf P.E. program established were liability issues and the logistics of students getting to the beach at the early start and returning to campus on time for the next class. “At first the kids were very tired … but after a while they got used to it and now they are going to sleep at earlier times to get here by 6:45. They are also on time to the next class because we allow extra time to shower and get ready for the next class,” Murphy said. The surf P.E. class is open to all high school grade levels, and the requirements are that they must pass a swim test administered by San Diego lifeguards. Students must also pass a physical. “We have other activities in the class, including guest speakers,” Murphy said. “The lifeguards came in and spoke about safety and surf etiquette. We meet on campus once a week. We’ve also played basketball, soccer on the beach and brought in judges to teach the kids how scoring works in surf contests.” Even parents give the class high marks. “The program is amazing,” said Julie Klein, a parent and one of the individuals instrumental in getting the surf class started. “Other schools in San Dieguito and Huntington Beach have been giving surf classes for years. So it made sense for us to have one being so close to the ocean. So I thought, ‘Let’s get it done.’ It took a lot of networking.” Klein’s son, Josh Morris, a junior at PLHS, is also captain of the Ocean Beach surf team and a student in the surf P.E. class. Lou Ghio, a member of the local surf team, was also a key figure in the establishment of the class, according to Murphy and Klein. “Right now we need more girls in the surf P.E. class for next time. Of the 40 kids we have only two girls,” Klein said. In addition to support from the school, the surf class has also had tremendous support from the community, according to Murphy. “The parents come out and watch the kids while they are in class. We also have many PLHS alumni in the area who surf with the kids in the morning. Our kids are well-behaved when they are in the water.” The Ocean Beach Surf Team will host a “Surf Day” on Feb. 7 in Ocean Beach at Tower 2. Murphy said he will bring the girls from his PLHS girls soccer team to help teach them how to surf. “I’ve been getting great feedback from the teachers,” Murphy said. “The students are more engaged in their classes. They show up on time and are taking more pride in academics.”