For the first time since Marlborough introduced the Health Education program nearly three decades ago, the Junior class is exempt from their final year of the three-year Health requirement.

This previously included Health 7, Health 9 and Health 11. According to Head of Upper School Regina Rosi Mitchell, the change was due to a lack of staffing following the recent departure of former Health Education Head Nicole Beck.

“Any time a program head leaves, it’s an opportunity to reevaluate a program and look at what our students need and ask what is critical content that our students need to graduate with,” Rosi Mitchell said.

In the absence of Beck, the School administration decided to eliminate Health 11 and revise the current model for Health Education. The removal of the class also frees a block for students in their junior year to fulfill other required courses, such as Emergency Preparedness and Water Safety, and gives students opportunities to take previously unavailable courses, such as Presidential Elections, Finance 101 and Creative Writing.

“I believe that learning about health is very important but I’m glad we have an extra block now,” Lucy ’26 said.

The material the Class of 2026 would have been learning in Health 11 will likely be supplemented in other ways, according to Interim Health Education Head Alison Williams.

“Health 11 was a deeper dive into the dimensions of Health covered in 9th grade, but with a focus on health equity, justice and self advocacy,” Williams said. “We are still planning what that programming will look like for 11th grade this year, but I am excited to create engaging, interactive and fun refreshers for 11th graders so you all feel equipped to make healthy and informed decisions in your lives.”

Rosi Mitchell stated that some possible revisions to Health 11 would include Junior Class Meetings centered on sex education through Williams’ partnership with Class of 2026 Dean Maxime Edelstein and Campus Healthcare Provider Myra Mercado.

“Nothing has been decided at this point,” Rosi Mitchell said. “I think that for both the class of 2026 and 2027, we will be ensuring that [for] the content that was previously covered in Health 11, that they have access to [it], be it through a Health 11 class or through additional programming that we put in place.”