FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Celebrating America's Best in Sports Southmoreland School District's Marvin Stoner Among Honorees

Marvin E. Stoner, teacher and coach, Southmoreland School District, Pennsylvania, will be honored with the NASPE National Sportsmanship Award for his outstanding career as an educator and mentor by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) at the annual convention of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), April 8-12, in Fort Worth, Texas.

The award will be presented at the NASPE Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, April 11, at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. Other honorees that evening include the National Physical Education Teachers of the Year for Elementary, Middle and High School, the National Physical Education Administrator of the Year, and the National Athletic Director of the Year Award. Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis will be inducted in the NASPE Hall of Fame. Tickets to the NASPE Hall of Fame Banquet are available on-site or by calling (888) 707-3204. 

A national recognition, the NASPE National Sportsmanship Award honors outstanding individuals in the sport world who promote the values of sportsmanship, ethical play in sport competition, citizenship, and community service. Candidates must display acts of honesty and integrity; react correctly when others do not; have positively affected a community's sport culture and game environment; and must clearly demonstrate "All That's Right in Sports"- the theme of the 2008 NASPE National Sportsmanship Award.

Previous recipients of the NASPE National Sportsmanship Award include Rainer Martens, President and Founder Human Kinetics, Inc.; Dr. Jody Brylinsky of Western Michigan University; Dr. Jay Coakley of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; Dr. Dan Gould of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University; and Pat Hewitt of Hartsville High School (SC).

Stoner, a teacher and coach for over 36 years, has made outstanding contributions to coaching education and sports. As a coach, Stoner strives to teach good sportsmanship in his sports programs and promotes character building. He considers this just as important as teaching the "game" as it positively influences the lives of his athletes and the world around them.  Stoner incorporates his character building ideals into his soccer program through daily positive statements to reinforce sportsmanship and make character development the cornerstone of the program.

His professional affiliations include the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE)/ American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and the Pennsylvania Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (PSAHPERD). He was elected PSAHPERD Vice President of the Division of Men's Athletics both 2001 and again in 2003. He served as PSAHPERD President in 2007. As President of PSAHPERD, Stoner carried this passion for coaching to his 2007 Presidential Project which was to hold coaching education workshops for youth coaches around the state.

Stoner was honored as the recipient of the first Excellence in Coaching Award by PSAHPERD in 1997. He was honored as Coach of the Year on five separate occasions and was selected as the Sportsmanship Coach of the Year in 2003 by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA).

In addition to being honored at the annual convention of AAHPERD this month, Stoner will also be honored at the 10th annual National Sportsmanship Awards Banquet presented by Citizenship Through Sports Alliance (CTSA) and the St. Louis Sports Commission in June in St. Louis, Missouri.

The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. NASPE's 16,000 members include: K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, sport management professionals, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare physical activity professionals. NASPE seeks to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high quality physical education, sport and youth physical activity programs through research, development of standards, and dissemination of information.  It is the largest of the five national associations that make the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD).  To assess whether your child is receiving a quality physical education program, visit www.naspeinfo.org/ for an observation assessment tool.

For additional information regarding the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance and the St. Louis Sports Commission visit www.stlouissports.org/awards.   

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Contact:
Paula Keyes Kun
pkun@aahperd.org 
(703) 476-3461

The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. NASPE’s 15,000 members include: K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, administrators, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare professionals in these areas. NASPE seeks to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high-quality physical education, sport and physical activity programs. It is the largest of the five national associations that make up the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD). For more information, visit www.naspeinfo.org.

The vision of AAHPERD is "Healthy People – Physically Educated and Physically Active!" Headquartered in Reston, VA, 25 miles west of Washington, DC, AAHPERD is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, physical activity, dance, school health and sport--all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. Its mission is to advance professional practice and promote research related to health and physical education, physical activity, dance and sport by providing its members with a comprehensive and coordinated array of resources, support and programs to help practitioners improve their skills to further the health and well-being of the American public. For more information, visit www.aahperd.org.