Tag Archives: Athletic Coaches

Adaptive PE teacher Lisa Belcastro was a former member Maryland House of Delegates

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Lisa Belcastro. a former member of the Maryland State House of Delegates, also taught middle school adaptive physical education. Photo credit: Slippery Rock University

Many excellent educators go on to successful careers in politics. One of these is Lisa Belcastro, who has served her community in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Lisa was born on Sept. 24, 1988, in Chicago, Illinois. As a young woman, she attended Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. there she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Science Health and Physical Education in 2012. After earning her degree, Lisa taught Adapted Physical Education at Buck Lodge Middle School in Prince George County Public Schools. From 2012 to 2017, she also worked as an assistant field hockey coach at Goucher College.

As a PE teacher, Lisa discovered a passion for helping students with disabilities—a passion she communicates to other educators. “The important thing to know is that any student, regardless of their disability, is able to do anything, it’s just going to look a little different,” Lisa declares. “You have to be willing as a teacher to think outside the box and find those creative ways to allow your students to participate in that activity,” she continued. To that end, Lisa began creating her own adaptive PE equipment that would could be adapted for use by her students. The equipment was so invaluable that it attracted attention from the US Department of State and countries around the world looking to make a similar impact for athletes with physical disabilities.

Lisa inaugurated her career in politics in 2017 when she worked as a volunteer coordinator for candidate Izzy Patoka, who was running for Baltimore County. Once he was elected, she became an aide to Patoka. Later, Lisa was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent District 11 in the Maryland House of Delegates. Once her term expired, she accepted a position as the Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Disabilities, where she has served since 2023.

 

Remon Smith of Texas named MileSplit’s 2023 Coach of the Year

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Remon Smith of Houston, Texas, has been named 2023 Coach of the Year by MileSplit. Photo credit: Klein Forest High School

It is always my pleasure to share news about an outstanding educator and coach who has earned recognition for their work with young people. Remon Smith, a coach in Texas, is one of these. He has been named the 2023 Coach of the Year by MileSplit.

At Klein Forest High School in Houston, Remon teaches physical education and leads instruction in credit recovery, and he coaches boys track and field. His athletic program is highly successful. In fact, his teams have managed to garner two state titles over four years—in 2023 and 2019—and his athletes finished a respectable third place in 2022.

Remon’s success as a coach follows his own personal success as a student athlete. At Randolph-Macon College, Remon lettered in football four years. When he graduated, he was named the All-Time Leading Collegiate Rusher for the State of Virginia, and he was named to the All-American Team. With a record like that, it is no surprise that he was inducted into the Randolph-Macon College Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

The honored coach shares the philosophy which led to his selection as Coach of the Year. “The key to a successful coaching career is making your athletes understand ‘we must make the uncomfortable comfortable,'” he declares, “and they will do what others are unwilling to do. I also teach my athletes the training process because, in high school, it’s more about teaching than coaching,” he continues. “The advice I would give a new coach is always to make sure the kids know you care about them more than any athletic outcome,” he declares. “Once an athlete knows you care, there is no limit to how much effort they will put in.”

MileSplit, founded in 2000, is the nation’s premier network for high school track and field and cross country. In addition to his honor from MileSplit, Ramon was also named the 6A Track and Field Coach of the Year by the Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association.

CA educator Catherine Borek: Her enthusiasm is infectious

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Here is English and Theater Arts teacher Catherine Borek of Compton, California. Her love for her students and for her work with them is absolutely infectious. No wonder she was named one of five California State Teachers of the Year. Just watch this video about her which was made a year ago, when she was selected the 2022 Teacher of the Year by the Compton Unified School District, and you’ll see what I mean.

Catherine teaches Advanced Placement English Literature and Drama at Dominguez High School. It was the Teach for America program that originally brought her into the classroom. Since that first year, she has devoted all 26 years of her career as an educator to Dominguez.

When Catherine first started working at the school, she was dismayed to discover that the Drama program had long been defunct. Believing the performing arts to be very important, she threw her considerable energy into reviving the program. The new program’s first year, 1999, she co-produced the play Our Town with colleague Karen Greene. The efforts were recorded in a documentary which became an award-winning film.

But the teacher credits her students themselves with their successes. “What makes Compton special and what test scores don’t show is that we have some really creative students and some true problem-solvers,” declares Catherine. “That’s something to be celebrated.”

Catherine also coaches the school’s rugby team, which she founded. And as if all that were not enough, the honored teacher has led her students to the completion of the LA Marathon, collaboration with the LA Opera, and starring in a Keurig commercial.

Her hard work has not gone unnoticed. In addition to being named the 2022 Teacher of the Year by the Compton Unified School District and one of five educators named as a Teacher of the Year by the LA County Office of Education, she has also been honored as one of five California State Teachers of the Year.

“To be distinguished as Teacher of the Year is no minor designation in our district,” asserts School Board Member Micah Ali. “It says that you have made an impact in the lives of both students and your colleagues. It means that you have contributed significantly toward our district elevating and opening doors to opportunities for our students,” he concluded.

 

New York PE teacher Betty Lacey coached boys’ and girls’ sports during WWII

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Athletic coach and physical education teacher Betty Lacey of Sherwood, New York, was one of the very few women in that period who coached both boys’ and girls’ sports teams. Photo credit: auburnpub.com

Many women make fine athletic coaches, but very few have coached both boys’ and girls’ teams, especially in the 1940’s. One such coach was Betty Lacey, a physical education teacher from Sherwood, New York.

As a young woman, Betty earned her Bachelor’s degree from Sargent College at Boston University in 1944. In 1964, she earned her Master’s degree in Physical Education from Ithaca College in New York.

After her graduation from Boston University, Betty inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position as a physical education teacher at Sherwood Central High School in Sherwood, New York. From 1944 to 1946, while World War II was in full swing which created a serious shortage of manpower, Betty taught and coached both boys’ and girls’ sports teams. This was highly unusual, even for that time. While at Sherwood, Betty coached boys’ football, basketball, and baseball. In addition, she officiated women’s university volleyball and basketball games at institutions across upstate New York and the northeast.

From 1956 to 1981, Betty taught at Auburn High School in New York. While there, the indefatigable educator coached all of the girls’ major athletic teams, including a record-setting field hockey team. Under her leadership, the Auburn teams garnered four consecutive New York State Championship titles in girls’ field hockey.

For her work as an athletic coach, Betty earned many accolades. She was the first woman to be inducted into the New York State Coaches Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Auburn High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Ithaca College Athletic hall of Fame. In addition, Ithaca College Women’s Basketball bestows an annual award in her honor.

Betty Lacey passed away on August 11, 2012. To read more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see her obituary at Legacy.com.

PE teacher and football coach Brick Mitchell was a fine athlete

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High school PE teacher and football coach Brick Mitchell was, himself, an exceptional football player. Photo credit: Public Domain

Many fine educators also enjoy success in professions other than teaching. One of these is Brick Mitchell, a high school physical education teacher who also earned fame as a football player and college football coach.

Brick was born Clarence Leon Mitchell, but was always known by his nickname, “Brick.” His birth year is believed to be 1894. As a young man, Brick played college football at the University of Oregon from 1915 to 1918, when World War I was in full swing. In 1916, he was selected to the All-Pacific Coast football team. He played the position of end. During his college years, Brick played three games in the Rose Bowl.

In the 1920s, Brick coached football at San Mateo High School in San Mateo, California. The school is located 20 miles south of San Francisco. In 1926 Coach Mitchell led his team to its first state championship. Next, Brick worked as a line coach at the University of California, Berkeley. From there he was hired as the Head Football Coach at the University of Nevada, Reno. He coached there from 1932 to 1935. During those years, he led his team, the Wolf Pack, to a record of 10 wins, 20 losses, and 3 ties.

In 1958, Brick returned to the high school. There he taught physical education, mechanical drawing, and math at Oroville High School in Oroville, California. Oroville is a public high school located in the rural northern valley at the base of the Sierra Nevada foothills, about 70 miles north of Sacramento.

Sadly, Brick Mitchell passed away on Oct. 21, 1963, at the University of California Hospital in San Francisco. He was 69 years old.