Tag Archives: Physical Education Teachers

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.

 

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.

NC PE teacher Jeanne Swanner Robertson also was a beauty pageant winner, public speaker, and author

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PE teacher Jeanne Swanner Robertson of North Carolina was also a beauty pageant winner, public speaker, and successful author. Photo credit: The Almanac News

Many accomplished educators exhibit talents in areas outside the field of teaching. One of these was Jeanne Swanner Robertson, physical education teacher from North Carolina who was also a beauty pageant winner, public speaker, and successful author.

Jeanne was born on Sept. 21, 1943, in Boston, Massachusetts. But she was raised in the small town of Graham, North Carolina. As a child, she was exceptionally tall. In fact, by the age of 13, she had already grown to a height of 6’2″. Athletically inclined, Jeanne used her height to become an accomplished basketball player. In addition to that sport, Jeanne was a member of the cheerleading squad and was elected her high school secretary.

In 1963, when she was 19 years old, Jeanne entered the Miss North Carolina contest, where she played the ukulele and performed a comedy sketch during the talent portion of the competition. She captured the state title and, for extra measure, was named Miss Congeniality. Jeanne moved on to the Miss America contest, where she once again garnered the Miss Congeniality Award. To this day, she holds the record as the tallest contest to enter the Miss America competition.

After her reign as Miss North Carolina, Jeanne used her scholarship winnings to pay for her college tuition at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. There she majored in physical education, played college basketball, and joined the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. She completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in 1967. Once she completed her education, Jeanne accepted a position as a PE teacher in Durham, North Carolina.

After leaving the classroom, Jeanne launched a career as motivational speaker and humorist, traveling on speaking tours across the country where her wholesome brand of comedy became popular with audiences. She was also a frequent guest at the Grand Ole Opry. Over the years, Jeanne served as the National President and National Board Member for the National Speakers Association. The organization gave her many of their most prestigious awards, including the CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), the CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence), Master of Influence, Philanthropist of the Year, and the coveted Cavett Award. She also earned the Toastmaster Golden Gavel in 2010. She was inducted into the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame in 1981.

As if all this were not enough, the former educator also authored four books. Humor: The Magic of Genie: Seven Potions for Developing a Sense of Humor (1989); Mayberry Humor Across the USA (1995); Don’t Let the funny Stuff Get Away (1998); and Don’t Bungee, Jump Naked, and Other Important Stuff (2020).

Although she had left the classroom many years before, Jeanne never lost her interest in supporting education. In her senior years, she and her husband Jerry both served on the Board of Trustees at Elon University. Jeanne involvement in this endeavor spanned a total of 18 years.

Sadly, Jeanne Swanner Robertson passed away on Aug. 21, 2021, in Burlington, North Carolina, following a short illness. She was 77 years old.

AZ teacher Nancy Gutierrez serves in her state’s House of Reps

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High school teacher Nancy Gutierrez represents her community in Tucson, Arizona, in her state’s House of Representatives. Photo credit: Nancy Gutierrez

Many accomplished classroom teachers also serve their communities in political office. One of these is Nancy Gutierrez, a high school teacher from Arizona who has been elected to her state’s House of Representatives.

Nancy earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Mathematics from Northern Arizona University in 1994. Once she earned her degree, she inaugurated her career as a teacher in Paradise Valley and Sierra Vista. She has taught at all grade levels, including preschool, elementary, high school, and community college. In 2013, she landed at Tucson High Magnet School. Nancy earned her 500-hour yoga certificate, and for the past five years she has been teaching yoga classes at the school, where she also serves as the Chair of the Physical Education Department. In addition, she is a member of the school’s Safety Committee.

Nancy is no stranger to leadership positions. In 2010, she was elected President of the Manzanita Elementary School Family Faculty Organization.  In 2017, she served on the Board of the Tucson chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), and in 2018, she was elected president of the group. She is a member of the Tucson Education Association and the Arizona Education Association. She also has experience as a Volunteer Coordinator for the American Red Cross.

In 2022, Nancy was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent District 18 in the Arizona House of Representatives. She was sworn into office on Jan. 9, 2023. Her  term will expire on Jan. 13, 2025. There she serves on the Committees for Education; Appropriations; Regulatory Affairs; Government; and Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs.

“My passion is education,” declares Nancy. She has made it her mission to increase spending for education in her state. “Arizona is notorious for spending the least amount possible on public education,” she notes. “In turn, we spend among the least amount per pupil, have one of the lowest median teacher salary structures in the country and we have schools that are literally crumbling.” Nancy is advocating exhaustively for allocating funding to make sorely needed repairs on classrooms, improve security measures on every campus, ensure that every classroom has working air conditioning, replace out-of-date textbooks, and increase teacher salaries.

Learn more about Nancy Gutierrez click here to check out her legislative website.