FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Seven Schools Honored for Exemplary Physical Education Programs

RESTON, VA, March 9, 2010 – The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has selected Ben Franklin Elementary School (Glen Ellyn, IL), Dodge Literacy Magnet Elementary School (Wichita, KS), MILA Elementary School (Merritt Island, FL) Shiloh Point Elementary School (Cumming, GA), McDowell High School (Erie, PA), Turkey Creek Middle School (Plant City, FL) and Black Hills High School (Olympia, WA) as STARS schools in recognition of their outstanding physical education programs. These seven schools are a part of an elite group of only 47 schools in the country to ever receive national acclaim as a NASPE STARS school.

    Ben Franklin Principal Kirk Samples and teachers Debbie Rausch and Gay Murray; Dodge Literacy Magnet Principal Janet Jump and teachers Cindy Johnson and Kim Morrissey; MILA Principal Betsy Butler and teachers Gary Odom and Sara Fernandez; Shiloh Point Principal Sharon Ericson and teachers Cate Hernandez, Katie Landers, Jennifer Blankenship and Sandra Bice; McDowell Principal Timothy Rankin, Wellness Coach Maria Spicher and physical education teachers Nicole Graham, Mike Hayes, Lori Hirtzel, Dan Kowalczyk and Jim Mountain; Turkey Creek Principal Dennis Mayo, department chair Tecca Kilmer, and physical education teachers Marcy Beck, Kim Gerlich, Shane Rawlins and Ira Shaw; and Black Hills Principal Dr. Kerry Mance, department chair Greg Bert, and physical education teachers Lisa Summers and Jack Zilla will be honored in Indianapolis, Indiana at the NASPE Hall of Fame Banquet in March during the 125th national convention of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). They will receive a STARS banner as well as certificates of recognition and product coupons from FlagHouse, the official physical education equipment sponsor of the NASPE STARS program.

    The NASPE STARS program honors physical education programs that model the essential elements for quality physical education and provide meaningful learning opportunities for all students. In addition, STARS schools exemplify excellence in teaching students the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed for motor development to achieve movement competency, health-related fitness and promote lifelong physical activity.

Ben Franklin Elementary School

    Parent involvement is integral to many of the physical education activities including Cross Country Skiing, a Physical Education Challenge, Punt, Pass and Kick and the Junior Olympic Skill Programs.  The "Award winning" Survivor Unit and the annual Food Pantry Run are highlights.   A recent Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant allowed for the purchase of new technology such as PlayStation and Dance, Dance Revolution.

Dodge Literacy Magnet Elementary School

    Pre-K students receive instruction in physical education two times a week for a total of 40 minutes. All students K through 5th grade attend physical education class twice a week for a total of 90 minutes. The physical education curriculum is written to help students achieve the NASPE National Standards for Physical Education and is aligned with the Wichita Public Schools Physical Education Program Standards curriculum.

MILA Elementary School           

    Students receive physical education instruction in two - three classes per week rotation and classes are 50 minutes in length. Lessons and curriculum are designed to meet the Brevard County Public Schools and Sunshine State Standards. Additionally, the physical educators participate and organize a variety of school-wide activities to enhance instruction, such as: Wellness Night, Step-up Florida and Square Dance Hoedown.

Shiloh Point Elementary School

    Students attend physical education classes twice a week. The curriculum, which is aligned with national and state standards, focuses on the development of motor/sports skills, improved fitness levels, dance, gymnastics and character education (social development). Extra opportunities such as Jump Rope Club, speed stacking, and tumbling are available for students before and after school.

McDowell High School          

    The school offers students a large variety of extra-curricular activities and varsity sports. Students must complete one semester of physical education each school year and have two credits in order to graduate. The K-12 district received a Carol M. White PEP Grant in 2007-2008. The grant allowed for curriculum development (SPARK Curriculum training for K-12), the purchase of new equipment (archery, kickboxing, pickleball, snowshoes, cardio equipment), increased technology (Microfit fitness assessment program), staff development, a fitness center and ongoing improvements to the curriculum.

Turkey Creek Middle School

    Turkey Creek offers its 1,088 students in grades 6-8 daily 50-minute physical education classes. The staff organizes an annual Olympic day in which students try out and compete in track and field, basketball, archery and bocce ball. The program is supported by a detailed curriculum that meets the NASPE National Standards for Physical Education.

Black Hills High School

    Black Hills High School is working toward a standards-based physical education program with a focus on health related fitness and development of skills for life-long physical activity. Students have a broad range of fitness and movement activities from which to make choices as they engage in at least two semesters of required PE during grades 10-12 and daily physical education as first year students. Classes are scheduled on semester basis, five days per week, for a total of 265 minutes per week.

    Our nation's obesity epidemic has made the need greater than ever for all students to have access to quality physical education programs and instruction. Physical education is a key strategy for increasing physical activity and decreasing obesity, but only if schools take the responsibility for providing physical education programs of the highest quality. NASPE STARS programs become leaders in the effort to provide high quality physical education that meets national standards and guidelines.

    According to NASPE President Steve Jefferies of Central Washington University, "NASPE STARS physical education programs are models for other schools to emulate. There is growing evidence that supports the relationship between health-related fitness and academic achievement. Healthy children learn better and systematic movement activities facilitate cognitive development. A quality school physical education program is the foundation for helping ALL children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence that promotes lifelong physical activity. By improving the quality of school physical education programs across the country, we will have a direct effect on the health of America's children. In a time of increasing health risks and health care costs in our country, prevention is a key and exemplary physical education programs must be part of the solution."

    NASPE Executive Director Charlene Burgeson explains that the criteria for this award are based on the essential elements necessary for a quality physical education program – content based on the National Standards for Physical Education, educationally and developmentally appropriate instructional strategies and teaching skills, adequate facilities and equipment that are safe and appropriate for the age and abilities of the students and that enable the students to participate in the maximum amount of active time on task, and classes taught by certified physical educators, among others. 

    For more information about quality physical education programs and how your physical education program can apply to become a STARS school, visit the NASPE Web site at www.naspeinfo.org/stars. Physical education departments can download information for administrators on the STARS program, a STARS application, criteria, and suggestions for providing evidence that the criteria have been met. The next deadline to apply for STARS is October 15, 2010.

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Contact:
Paula 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.

AAHPERD, an alliance of five national associations, six district associations, and a Research Consortium, provides 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. It is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, recreation, fitness, dance, health promotion and all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. AAHPERD serves 20,000 members and has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia, 25 miles west of Washington DC. To learn more, visit www.aahperd.org.