Tag Archives: Physical Education Teachers

NYC PE teacher Reyes Andon garners a 2025 Golden Apple Award

Posted on by

Elementary school teacher Reyes Andon has garnered a 2025 Golden Apple Award from the New York City Department of Education. Photo credit: Reyes Andon

There are many excellent teachers who work in New York City schools. One of them is Reyes Andon, a physical education teacher who has earned a Golden Apple Award from the New York City Department of Education.

Reyes teaches students up to grade 5 at PS 376, an elementary public school located in Brooklyn. There he uses sports as a vehicle to inspire learning, leadership, and community. Reyes strives to make his classroom instruction inclusive and culturally responsive. But the key to his success as an educator, says Reyes, is that he promotes peer leadership by promoting student agency and responsibility through meaningful roles the coach, assistant coach, and equipment manager.

“Beyond the classroom, I serve as a national trainer with the US Soccer Foundation, facilitating programs like Soccer for Success, the Coach-Mentor Blueprint, and Just Ball to help educators and youth leaders across the country harness sport for positive development,” says Reyes. “I also collaborate with NYCFC City in the Community, leading initiatives that engage families and expand opportunities for underserved youth,” he continued. In addition, Reyes has organized several community partnerships and after-school and weekend programs that address access gaps in physical activity and organized sports for families facing economic barriers.

Reyes is one of ten New York City teachers who garnered a Big Apple Award this year. The honor recognizes teachers who demonstrate excellence across four key areas: inspiring students to reach their full potential, modeling equitable learning with high expectations, affirming students’ unique identities and gifts, and enriching school communities through meaningful partnerships with families and community organizations. In addition to his Big Apple, which came with a $25,000 check for Reyes to use to enhance the physical education program at his school, the Chalkboard Champion was featured on an episode of the NBC Today Show.

Actor Hugh Jackman of “Wolverine” fame once worked as a PE teacher

Posted on by

Hugh Jackman has earned celebrity status for playing the role of Wolverine in the popular X-Men film series. But did you know that before he became an actor, he was a physical education teacher in England?

Hugh was born in Sydney, Australia, to parents who had immigrated to the Down Under from the United Kingdom. As a youngster, he attended public schools, where he sometimes participated in amateur theatrical productions, until his graduation from high school.

At first, Hugh toyed with the idea of become a journalist, and he enrolled at Sydney’s University of Technology. It was during his gap year in 1987 that Hugh accepted a position as a physical education teacher at Uppingham School, a public school located in Uppingham, England. At the conclusion of his teaching assignment, Hugh returned to Sydney, where he completed the requirements for his Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Technology in 1991. By then, Hugh had been bitten by the acting bug, so he enrolled in “The Journey” at the Actors’ Centre in Sydney, where he completed a one-year course. Next he attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts at Edith Cowan University located in Perth. There he earned a second degree in 1994.

As it turns out, the former teacher’s decision to change careers turned out to be a good one. His most celebrated role is as Wolverine in the X-Men movies, a character he played from 2000 to 2017. He was also cast in the lead role in the romantic comedy Kate & Leopold in 2001;  the popular musical Les Miserablesin 2012; the musical The Greatest Showman in 2017, and the political drama The Front Runner in 2018. In addition, he voiced roles in the animated films Happy Feet in 2006; Rise of the Guardians in 2012; and Missing Link in 2019.

Throughout his acting career, Hugh has earned many accolades. For his role as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, he was nominated for an Academy Award and he won a Golden Globe Award, and for his role in The Greatest Showman, he earned a Grammy for Best Soundtrack Album. He has also garnered two Tony Awards.

 

PE teacher and coach Mamie Redman once played women’s pro baseball

Posted on by

Magdalen “Mamie” Redman, who played for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, taught mathematics and physical education and coached a variety of sports after retiring from the League. Photo Credit: All American Girls Professional Baseball League

Many times excellent physical education educators were established athletes in their own right. One of these was Magdalen “Mamie” Redman, a math and PE teacher and coach who also played in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during World War II.

Mamie was born on July 2, 1980, in Waupin, Wisconsin. When she was young, girls were not allowed to participate in Little League Baseball, so Mamie was confined to playing sandlot ball with her neighborhood friends. By the time she was 17, though, she was able to join an organized softball team in Oconomowoc, about 17 miles away from her home town. It was while she was playing there that her talent was spotted by an AAGPBL scout.

After signing with the AAGPBL, Mamie travelled to Opa-locka, Florida, for spring training in 1948, and then she was assigned to the Kenosha Comets. At 5’5″, 150 lbs., Mamie served as the team’s catcher and third baseman. She played for the Comets from 1948 to 1950, and then transferred to the Grand Rapids Chicks, where she played from 1950 to 1954. While playing there, she helped her team win the Championship Series in 1953. In all, Mamie played seven years in the AAGBL. Once the League was disbanded in 1955, Mamie was recruited to play for a national touring team known as the All American All Stars, a team comprised of women players who toured the country competing against male teams.

After she retired from baseball, Mamie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, with minors in Physical Education and Biology, from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. For the next 37 years, she taught mathematics and physical education and coached a variety of high school sports at Valdez, Mukwonago, and Oconomowoc High Schools.

To commemorate her impressive career as an athlete, Mamie’s story became part of the Women in Baseball exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. She was also inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame, the Wall of Honor at Miller Park in Milwaukee, and the Waupun High School Hall of Fame. In addition, the 1992 film A League of Their Own shared the story of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League to generations of baseball fans.

In her final years, Mamie Redman lived in Oconomowoc. She passed away on Aug. 22, 2020, at the age of 90.

 

Florida educator Connie Lane Lewis earns honors from DKG

Posted on by

Florida educator Connie Lane Lewis has been named a Key Women Educator by the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. Photo credit: DKG Alpha Kappa Chapter

It is always my pleasure to write about an outstanding educator who has made significant contributions to her learning community. Today, I write about Connie Lane Lewis, an outstanding teacher from Tallahassee, Florida. She has been named a Key Women Educator by the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG).

DKG ia a prestigious professional organization that promotes the professional success of women educators. The organization works to improve professional preparation, to recognize women’s work in the teaching profession, and to fund scholarships for teachers who need support to improve their professional skills.

Connie Lane Lewis worked much of her career as a professional educator at Florida University High School (FSUS), a laboratory school sponsored by Florida State University located in Tallahassee. The school is often referred to as Florida High, although the facility actually serves students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. She taught there from 1971 to 2004.

At FSUS Connie taught dance, archery, rhythmic exercise, gymnastics, tumbling, and computer science to students at both the elementary and secondary levels. In addition, she served as the high school’s coach for track and field and cheerleading. Furthermore, she served as a choreographer for middle school and high school musicals at FSUS. In addition to her work in the classroom, Connie served as the Membership Chair for the Florida State Association for Health, Physical Education, and Dance. She retired in 2004 after 35 years of teaching.

In addition to the recognition she has earned from DKG, Connie earned a Florida State Service Award in 1980. She was named District Teacher of the Year at FSUS in 1988. She also earned a Florida Retrofit for Technology Grant in the amount of $200,000, and she was named a finalist for an Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award in 2001.

Even in retirement, Connie is very active. Currently she serves as the Communication Chair and Webmaster of DKG’s Alpha Kappa Chapter. In addition to DKG, Connie belongs to the Beta Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa and serves as the organization’s newsletter editor.

Connie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She earned her Master’s degree in Physical Education and Dance from Florida State University. She also earned a Certificate in Computer Science.

To learn more about the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, click on this link: DKG.

Basketball coach Mike Hilmer garners a 2023-2024 National Coach of the Year honor

Posted on by

Iowa basketball coach Mike Hilmer named one of 24 high school coaches by the National Federation of High Schools. Photo credit: Mike Hilmer

I always enjoy highlighting an exceptional coach who has earned accolades for his work with young athletes. Today I shine the spotlight on Mike Hilmer, an outstanding coach from Iowa. He has been named one of 24 high school coaches from around the country who have been honored as a 2023-2024 National Coach of the Year by the NFHS (National Federation of High Schools).

Mike was raised in Forest City, Iowa. After his high school graduation, he attended Cornell College, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1991. Later he earned his administrative degree online through Grand Canyon University.

Mike inaugurated his career as a physical education teacher and boys basketball coach at Iowa’s Lincoln Central High School. He then completed stints at Estherville-Lincoln Central High School as a geography teacher and boys basketball coach.

In 1999, Mike accepted a position as a teacher of US History at North Linn High School in Troy Mills, Iowa. Additionally, he served as the Activities Director there since 2006. During his tenure at North Linn, Mike coached boys and girls golf, softball, and boys basketball. In the 16 years that Mike worked at North Linn, his teams have won 234 games and lost only nine. Since 2018, North Linn has reached the Iowa State Championship every year—an amazing seven consecutive seasons—winning a state title three times, including the year 2024.

Mike;’s prowess as an exceptional coach has not escaped attention. In the 33-year span of his coaching career career, Mike had been named State Coach of the Year six times. The is in addition to his recognition as a 2023-2024 National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of High Schools.

This year, Mike left North Linn to become the Superintendent of Bellevue Schools in Bellevue, Iowa. He has also served on the  Board of Directors of the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association for ten years, and the IHSAA Boys Basketball Advisory Committee for six years. 

Congratulations, Mike Hilmer: A true Chalkboard Champion!