Tag Archives: Physical Education Teachers

Dick Ault: PE teacher and Olympic competitor

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There are many examples of fine educators who have distinguished themselves in the world of sports. Such is the case with Dick Ault, a high school physical education teacher who competed in the 1948 Olympics.

Richard “Dick” Francis Ault was born on December 10, 1925, in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, the son of the Herbert and Madeline (Dowling) Ault. After his graduation from Roosevelt High School in his home town, Dick attended the University of Missouri from 1946 to 1949. While there, he won the Big 6 title in the 220-yard low hurdles in both 1946 and 1947. In the seasons that followed, he garnered the Big 7 title in the same event in 1948 and 1949. He was also named the conference champion in the 440-yard dash in 1947 and 1949. In 1948, Dick competed in the London Olympic Games, finishing 4th in the 400-meter dash. In 1949, the former Olympic athlete competed in Oslo, Norway, where tied the world record in the 440-yard dash.

In 1950, Dick accepted a position as a teacher and coach at Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Illinois. While there, he led his cross country students to the state championship. In 1967, Dick was hired to be a physical education professor at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. There he coached several sports, including cross country, track, swimming, and golf. After a career spanning 29 years, he retired in 1996.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away from complications from diabetes at the age of 81 on July 16, 2007, in Jefferson City, Cole County, Missouri. For his outstanding achievements, Dick has earned many honors. He was inducted into the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame (1976), the University of Missouri Hall of Fame (1991), the Missouri State Sports Hall of Fame (1993), and the National Sports Hall Of Fame in Washington, DC (1999).

To read more about this amazing educator and athlete, click on this link: Dick Ault Obituary.

Swim coach Steve Marsing inducted into the 2023 Utah Sports Hall of Fame

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Athletic Director and Swim Coach Steve Marsing was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. Photo Credit: Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation

If you are a resident of Utah and you are interested in high school swim sports, you have probably heard of Coach Steve Marsing. Only a handful of the state can boast the success of this outstanding coach, who was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame (USHF) in 2023.

In a career that spans 33 years, Steve worked 10 years at Skyline High School, 15 years at Hunter High School, and 8 years in the Wasatch School District. At both Hunter and Wasatch High Schools he served stints as the Athletic Director. During the course of his lengthy career, Steve led his teams to win four state men’s swimming championships, on women’s swimming title, ten state men’s and women’s water polo championships, 21 women’s regional titles, and 17 men’s regional titles.

But Steve doesn’t take all the credit for these wins. “It’s the kids that make this all possible,” he declares. “For me—for any coach—you have to just be a good example. If you’re doing things right and setting a good example for these young people, they will do anything for you,” he continues. “The more you show them that you care, the more they will give back,”  he concludes.

In addition to his induction into the USHF, Steve has earned numerous other accolades. In 1999, he was named the National Women’s Swim Coach of the Year. That same year he was named the Section 7 Men’s Swim Coach of the Year, and he earned that honor again in 2011. That year he was also recognized as the UHSAA Men’s Coach of the Year. In 2012, he earned the NISCA Outstanding Service Award. He has been honored as the USCA Coach of the Year no less than 12 times. As Athletic Director, Steve received the 2008 UIAAA State Award of Merit.

Steve earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health from the University of Utah in 1975. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from Brigham Young University in 1987, and an Administrative Credential from the University of Utah in 2008.

 

Mary Kay Connerton named Maryland’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

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Physical Education educator Mary Kay Connerton named the 2024 Maryland State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Maryland State Department of Education

Many outstanding educators help our nation’s students improve their physical fitness and overall health. One of these is Mary Kay Connerton, a physical education teacher from Maryland. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Mary Kay teaches courses in physical education and wellness at Annapolis High School (AHS) in Annapolis. She has taught there for the past nine years. In her classroom, Mary Kay is a strong advocate for wellness, not only for her students, but also for her colleagues and the community at large. She is a proponent of addressing the whole individual, and she believes that the foundation of success begins with being healthy in both body and mind.

In response to her students’ needs, Mary Kay created and inaugurated her school’s first yoga course. Eventually, the course evolved into a holistic wellness program that spread to every school in her school district, with Mary Kay leading the teacher training program for teachers.

“The work I do is a bit out of the box,” confesses Mary Kay. “But it is the exact link that could lead to the acceleration of every individual for not just educational success, but also personal success.”

In addition to her work with the schools, Mary Kay co-leads her community’s trauma team, wellness club, and trauma-informed wellness groups, all of which focus on healing and connection. She facilitates events to connect employees and the community with these resources. In addition, she pioneered the district’s first social emotional learning and wellness curriculum for 25,000 students with Johns Hopkins University.

Her selection as Maryland’s 2024 Teacher of the Year is not the only honor Mary Kay has earned. In 2020, she received the 2020 Maryland Society of Health & Physical Education Friend Award. She also garnered a Wellness School of Distinction Award.

Mary Kay earned her Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education in 2008 and her Master’s degree in Special Education in 2010, both from State University of New York at Cortland. She also earned an administrator certificate from McDaniel College in 2018. Her career as an educator spans more than 20 years.

 

Arkansas PE teacher Melissa Bragg garners 2023 SHAPE Award

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Melissa Bragg, a physical education educator from Bryant, Arkansas, has been honored as the 2023 High School Physical Education  Teacher of the Year by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE). Photo Credit: SHAPE

In today’s world of high technology, sometimes it is difficult to get young people involved in physical fitness activities. Melissa Bragg, an exemplary junior high school physical education teacher from Arkansas, is working hard to change that.

Melissa teaches in Bryant, Arkansas. This exceptional educator, whose career in the Bryant School District spans 18 years, has been honored with the title of 2023 High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) Arkansas. This recognition recognizes her outstanding teaching skills, her innovative methods, and her steadfast commitment to her students’ physical and mental well-being.

Melissa’s classroom is a place where students learn about physical fitness, in addition to teamwork, sportsmanship, and fair play. Her commitment to promoting these important values is evident in her daily interactions with her students. She instills in them a strong sense of responsibility and respect for one another, creating a positive and inclusive learning environment.

Since the organization was founded in 1885, the SHAPE organization has advanced the cause of excellence in school-based health education and physical education.  The organization collaboratively developed National Health Education Standards physical education programs, which provide the framework for effective skills-based health education instruction for all K-12 students. To read more about the organization, click on this link to SHAPE.

 

Celebrating the work of Virginia football coach Bill Yoast

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Outstanding football coach Bill Yoast left an indelible mark on high school football in Alexandria, Virginia. Photo Credit: Alexandria Times

There are many outstanding athletic coaches who work with young people in our schools that are deserving of recognition. Today, I share the story of one of them: Bill Yoast, a football coach who left an indelible mark on high school football in Alexandria, Virginia.

Bill was born in Florence, Alabama, in 1924. He grew up with an absentee father, and picked cotton to help support his family. During WWII, he was drafted into the Army Air Corps, which was the precursor to the US Air Force, in 1943, where he served for three years.

Bill earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Mercer University, and his Master’s and Education Specialist degrees from Peabody College in Tennessee. He inaugurated his career as a teacher and football coach in Sparta, Georgia. He left that position after the head of the school board reprimanded him for letting an African American baseball team use the shower facilities in a local high school.

In 1960, Bill moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where he accepted a position as the Head Football Coach at Francis C. Hammond High School. In 1969, he led his team to a win at the Virginia AAA Regional Championships.

Once the schools were integrated in 1971, Bill switched schools to TC Williams High, and he also switched roles to become the Defensive Coach and an Assistant Coach, while Herman Boone, who is African American, became the Head Football Coach. That season, under the leadership of the two coaches, the Hammond High team went on to win the Virginia state football championship, finishing the year with an undefeated record. In 2000, the relationship between Bill Yoast and Herman Boone was depicted in the movie Remember the Titans. Bill was portrayed by Will Patton and Herman was portrayed by Denzel Washington.

By the time Bill retired from in teaching in 1990, he had spent three decades as a football coach. During his lengthy career, he also taught physical education and driver’s education, and he coached track and field and golf teams.

Bill Yoast passed away on May 23, 2019, at an assisted living facility in Springfield, Virginia. He was 94 years old.