Tag Archives: Physical Education Teachers

Texas PE teacher and coach Joey Rodriguez succumbs to Covid-19

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Sadly, beloved Texas PE teacher and soccer coach Joey Rodriguez succumbed to Covid-19 on Oct. 17, 2021. He was only 43 years old. Photo credit: The Dallas Morning News.

We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Joey Rodriguez, and teacher and coach from Arlington, Texas, succumbed to the disease on Sunday, Oct. 17.

At the time of his passing, Joey was a Physical Education teacher and soccer coach at Sam Houston High School in the Arlington Independent School District. Joey Rodriguez devoted 12 years of his professional life to the school.

Former student Selena Saldana, class of 2013, says she will greatly miss her former teacher. “He was my high school PE teacher, and he was always pushing me to do much more,” she remembered. “Every time we had to run on the track and I would stop to take a break, he would yell, ‘Come on, Selena. You can do it. Don’t stop now.’ He was really supportive,” she said.

In addition to teaching physical education, Joey worked as the school’s soccer coach since 2009. “Twice, he led his soccer teams to the state championship,” recalled  Marcelo Cavazos, Superintendent of Arlington Schools. “He grew the program so rapidly that the district had to hire more coaches so that all of the kids who wanted to learn from Coach Rodriguez could have the opportunity,” Cavazos noted.

Coach Rodriguez’s Sam Houston team made their first state tournament appearance in school history in 2015.That year, the student athletes reached the Class 6A semifinals and finished 23-3-2. In 2017, the Sam Houston team was the state runner-up, losing to Jesuit in overtime in the title game to finish 22-3-2. Sam Houston High School is one of only three schools in the Arlington District to qualify for the state tournament in boys soccer. In addition to coaching, Joey served as the President of the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches.

Joey graduated from Abilene High School in 1995 where he participated in soccer, football, and marching band. After his high school graduation, Joey enrolled at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he studied and played soccer for two years before transferring to Hardin Simmons University in Abilene. He graduated from Hardin Simmons with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 2001.

Covid-19 claims life of math, PE teacher Rodney Lee

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We regret to report that Covid-19 claimed the life of elementary math and physical education teacher Rodney Lee of Dalton, Georgia, on September 6, 2021. Photo credit: Photo credit: Dalton Citizen.

We regret to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Rodney Lee, an elementary school teacher from Georgia, succumbed to the disease on September 6, 2021. He was only 44 years old.

Rodney taught physical education at Varnell Elementary School in Dalton.  His wife, Lacey Lee, said her husband enjoyed young people. “He loved working with them, and it was really important to him to be a good role model for them,” she recalled.

Rodney inaugurated his career as an educator a math teacher. “He taught in middle school for one year and decided that wasn’t for him and went back to elementary school,” Lacey says. “Then the opportunity to become a physical education teacher came up, and he took it. That’s what he taught for the last 12 years or so,” she continued. “He was a great math teacher, but he just loved PE,” she concluded. In 2018, the fallen educator was recognized as the school’s Teacher of the Year. His career as a teacher spanned 18 years.

Rodney and Lacey met when they were both education students at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. “There was a student-teaching abroad program,” Lacey remembered. “We both signed up for it, and we both spent about eight weeks teaching in England and got to know each other and fell in love.”

In addition to teaching, Rodney coached travel softball, basketball, and baseball. He was active with Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief and Georgia Baptist Builders, an organization which helps the needy with construction projects. “He would work on cars (for those in need),” remembered friend Allee Worley. “He would work on air conditioners. He would build wheelchair ramps. And he did everything with a cheerful attitude and a smile on his face,” she said.

To read more about Rodney Lee, see this article published by the Dalton Citizen.

Arturo Arredondo: Consummate counselor, PE teacher, and coach

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Arturo Arredondo, originally from Arizona, was a consummate school counselor, physical education teacher, and coach.

I always enjoy sharing stories about outstanding athletes who become teachers and coaches. One of these is Arturo Arredondo, originally from Arizona, who chose a career in education instead of professional baseball.

Arturo was born on August 21, 1931, in Kingman, Arizona. As a youngster, he attended Kingman High School, where he played varsity basketball, baseball, football, and track. He was particularly adept as a pitcher, and he was even scouted and drafted by the LA Dodgers, but Arturo chose instead to go to college.

As a young man, Arturo attended Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. Later he earned a Master’s degree in Counseling from the University of California, Riverside.

After completing his Bachelor’s degree, Arturo inaugurated his career as an educator when he accepted a position as a sixth grade teacher in Douglas, Arizona. He also coached baseball and basketball. In 1958, he and his wife relocated to Riverside, California, where he became a teacher at Chemawa Junior High School. He taught Spanish there. Later he transferred to Riverside’s JW North High School, where he worked as a counselor. Arturo also worked as a counselor at both Mira Loma Middle School and Mission Middle School in the Jurupa United School District. Throughout his lengthy career as an educator, Arturo was an advocate for the rights of people in the Mexican American community. In addition, he worked tirelessly for such organizations as MeCha and ESAA. He also spent some time as the Director an an educational program called “Follow Through,” and he worked as a referee for local high school teams.

Arturo retired in 1998. In his golden years he established a translation service and indulged his love for language arts projects—he compiled a dictionary of English idioms, adages, and phrases and translated them into Spanish. This Chalkboard Champion passed away on August 19, 2021, from heart failure. He was 89 years old.

Miss America 1969 went on to career as a PE teacher and coach

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Retired PE teacher and coach Judith Ford Nash of Illinois enjoyed fame as Miss America 1969. Photo credit: Dispatch Argus.

Many fine classroom teachers have earned fame in areas outside of education. One of these is Judith Ford Nash, a physical education teacher and coach who was crowned Miss America in 1969.

Judith was born on December 26, 1949, in Iowa City, Iowa, although she was raised in Belvidere, Illinois. As a student at Belvedere High School, young Judith already demonstrated talent in gymnastics and athletics. In 1965, at the age of 15, she became a member of the US trampoline team and traveled to Vienna, Austria, to take part in an international exhibition. She was also a member of her school’s cheerleading squad.

While still a teenager, Judith won her first pageant title: Miss Illinois County Fair. During those years, she was also named Miss Illinois Teenager. In 1968, she garnered the title of Miss Boone County. That same year, she went on to capture the title of Miss Illinois. At the time, she was working as a lifeguard at the city public pool and also as a swimming instructor. In 1969, Judith represented Illinois as a contestant in the Miss American Pageant. By then, she had earned a reputation as a world-class trampolinist, and she used her skills on the trampoline for her performance in the talent portion of the competition. She is the only Miss America contestant ever to compete using the trampoline.

After completing her freshman year of college at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Judith completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at the University of Illinois, Ubana-Champaign. Later she earned a Master’s degree from the Western Illinois University.

After college, Judith spent eight years as a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, having been appointed by Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In 1990 she moved to Geneseo, Illinois, where she taught elementary school physical education. She also coached high school girls’ golf and middle school basketball and track for nearly 20 years. During that time, Judith remembers, her students relished having a celebrity as a teacher and coach. “My golfers liked to tell their opponents, ‘You may have beaten us, but our coach was Miss America,'” she says, laughing.

You can read more about this amazing educator and athlete at Northwest Quarterly.

Florida’s Linda Gancitano: PE teacher and soccer player

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Florida physical education teacher Linda Gancitano is also a former US Women’s Soccer team player. Photo credit: Sports Industry Conference.

There are many fine educators who have also made a name for themselves as excellent athletes. One of these is Linda Gancitano, a former US Soccer Team player who now teaches in Florida.

Linda was born on Jan. 24, 1962, in Coral Springs, Florida. As a youngster, she discovered her talent for soccer, and did so well she was placed on the boys’ soccer team. In fact, she was the first girl to play on a high school boys’ soccer team in Florida.

Once she graduated from high school, Linda enrolled at the University of Central Florida, where she played college soccer from 1981 to 1985. In fact, in 1982, the talented athlete was selected to play in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament. In that tournament, she garnered the honor of Defensive MVP. She won other honors in college, too. She was chosen as one of the team’s most valuable players in 1981, and she earned the Coaches’ Award in 1984. And, as if all that were not enough, Linda was selected to be a member of the first-ever US Women’s National Soccer team in 1985. She played for three years, until a sports injury in 1986 forced her to leave the team.

Today, Linda teaches Physical Education at Driftwood Middle School (DMS) Academy of Health and Wellness in Florida. There she also coaches the volleyball team and advises the school’s peer counseling class.

In 2008, Linda established the Green Team at her school to encourage students to reduce their energy and water use. She created a school-based environmental challenge called “How Low Can You Go?” The challenge gets students involved by serving as energy auditors for classrooms. The school was named a Green Ribbon School by the US Department of Education in 2013. Over time, this program has been expanded districtwide through a partnership with the professional basketball team Miami Heat.

So far, Linda’s career as an educator has spanned 32 years. For her work in the classroom, Linda has received many accolades. She was named a White House Champion of Change for Climate Education and Literacy; a SHAPE Florida Teacher of the Year; and Florida Green School Teacher of the Year.

To read more about Linda Gancitano, see her profile in Linked In.