Students in the Department of Health and Human Performance have the chance to share their curriculum with their pals this week.

The department is sponsoring the “Bring a Friend to Class Day” Wednesday and Thursday to allow more students to experience the activities offered within the department.

KCCI Channel 8 News will be covering the two-day event. Some of the featured activities include bowling, golf, basketball, aerobics and aquatic courses.

Last year was the first time this event was offered, and 516 friends were brought to class to participate, said John McVan, activities coordinator and aquatic specialist in the Department of Health and Human Performance. This year, the department’s goal is to double that number.

“If we could get up to 1,000 students this year, that would be fantastic,” McVan said. “We just hope that Mother Nature provides us with some good, sunny weather.”

All students have to do is show up with a guest at the area where the class meets with the appropriate attire for participation.

Many of the activities are spiced up a little to add to the friendly atmosphere of the event. McVan said last year the bowling classes were enhanced with creative lighting to achieve a more festive environment.

Jodee Rydberg, teaching assistant in the Department of Health and Human Performance, said the event allows students outside the department to see what’s offered.

“I feel that the goal of the event is basically to let other students experience classes and see what goes on in the different activities,” said Rydberg, graduate student in health and human performance.

Rydberg said she likes to see the students showing and teaching their friends in a relaxed atmosphere about what they have learned in class.

“If [students] have the chance to go — experience as much as you can,” she said.

McVan said it is not necessary to advertise the department’s activities offered each semester because they are in such high demand.

“We offer 34 to 35 activities a semester with multiple sections of each, and normally they are all full. Last semester, we had 78 students waiting to get into a bowling section,” he said. “This event gives us an opportunity to really expose our services.”