Tag Archives: Physical Education Teachers

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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.

DC PE teacher Alex Clark establishes bicycling program

Posted on by

Health and physical education teacher Alex Clark has been named the PE Teacher of the Year for the Eastern District by  SHAPE America. Photo credit: SHAPE America

Today the Chalkboard Champion spotlight shines on an amazing physical education teacher: Alex Clark of Washington, DC. Alex teaches health and physical education courses at Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in Washington, DC. He has been at the school for about nine years. But he is probably better known for his Prime Biking Program.

With the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, Alex became concerned with the health of students who were confined mostly indoors. To help them engage in physical activity, he founded his Stay Prime Biking Program. Through the program, students met with each other and cycled to different locations throughout the DC area two times each week.

Stay Prime has grown to serve over 300 students in the DC area. The program not only helps students stay healthy, but it also encourages young people to come together as a community. “The bike is just a tool to teach students about life,” declares Alex. The students repair and build bicycles not only for themselves, but also for local elementary students. “It has manifested into a way for us to give back to the community,” the teacher says. Alex’s accomplishments have been so successful that he has been featured in magazines, newspapers, and the Today Show—twice!

For this work, Alex has earned several accolades. In 2023 he was named a runner-up for the OSSE (Office of the State Superintendent of Education) Teacher of the Year. In 2024, he was honored as Shape America’s Physical Education Teacher of the Year for the Eastern District. He also garnered a DCPS (District of Columbia Public Schools) Standing Ovation Award.

Alex earned his Bachelor’s degree in Education from Central Connecticut State University in 2014.