KNIGHTDALE — Middle school students generally think of physical education as gym — a chance to run around, play games and get exercise.

But the physical education teachers at East Wake Middle School want their students to understand that’s only part of what they will learn this year.

In an effort to give students a visual understanding of all the things that surround physical education, the staff organized a health fair Friday.

The entire student body — minus those who are currently tracked out — made their way through the gymnasium during the day, where they met health instructors, school nurses, EMTs, police and even wildlife officers.

“The idea is that we are really just starting our school year and we want them to see all the different aspects of health education,” said department chair Delane Hayes.

The students were given a set of questions to ask of the health fair exhibitors, but Knightdale fire Chief Tim Guffey said students were returning to his display to ask questions that weren’t on their worksheet.

Alex Jimenez, with Gold’s gym, managed one of the most interactive stations. Students were able to strap on a small parachute and run from one end of the gym to the other.

The exercise, Jimenez said, is designed to show students that physical training is about more than just playing sports and running.

“We wanted them to see that even small pieces of equipment could be used to help get them in good shape,” Jimenez said.

Another popular station was manned by Raleigh police officers, who talked to students about gang prevention.

Officer B.S. Neighbors said students are surprisingly candid about what they know about gangs in their communities.

He said the health fair is an opportunity for students to meet police officers in a non-confrontational setting.

“We want them to know they can trust us if they need to talk to us,” Neighbors said.

About 700 EWMS students attended Friday’s health fair.

Eighth-grader Alyssa Souder said the event offered students a look at potential careers.

“You can see what type of jobs are involved in the health field and what these people do and how they deal with their jobs,” Souder said.

“It makes an affect on you. When you get older you want to have done things when you’re young to be in shape then,” Souder said.