SHAPE America

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

The Will to Win By Gunnery Sergeant Edwin Paul Omanahernandez Resiliency embodies the physical, mental and moral disciplines of Marine character. It enables them to adapt and push through adversity and overcome any obstacle they face. It’s the iron-clad resolve to rise after every fall, maintain sharp focus, and perform with precision. Resiliency is forged through rigorous training, moral grounding, and a steadfast support system from mental health resources, peers, and strong leadership.

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Strength Psychology Endurance Coaching 246

SHAPE America

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Let me introduce myself. My name is Casey Page and I am a physical education teacher in Shelby County, Kentucky, which is a suburb of Louisville. I also coach golf and am an assistant athletic director at our school, but I have always thought of myself as a teacher first. In March 2024, I was lucky enough to be named the 2024 SHAPE America National High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year!

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SHAPE America

OCTOBER 29, 2024

As a physical education teacher at Hebron High School in Carrollton, TX, I developed a Health and Wellness Club for our ninth-grade campus as an initiative to reduce obesity and related comorbidities that are associated with sedentary lifestyles and a lack of physical activity. The goal of the club was to educate students on the importance of physical activity and provide them with resources that would empower them to take ownership of their health and physical activity habits.

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Wellness Health Schooling Physical Activity 415

SHAPE America

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

October is Health Literacy Month. SHAPE America defines health literacy as, “…the ability to access, understand, appraise, apply and advocate for health information and services in order to maintain or enhance one’s own health and the health of others.” As health educators, it is important to teach our students to be health literate. Health-literate students can understand how their decisions affect their health and well-being and the health and well-being of those around them.

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Middle School Health Education Assessment Health 396

SHAPE America

AUGUST 27, 2024

Students can be equipped with skills to create healthier, safer communities. Whether it’s taking note of a friend’s concerning behavior or discussing the importance of mental health in the classroom, preparedness is a critical component of protecting the health of those in your school community. When it comes to preventing drug overdoses, being prepared means equipping middle and high school students, teachers, coaches, and community members with the knowledge to identify signs of a drug overdos

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Teaching Teaching Health High School 424

SHAPE America

AUGUST 13, 2024

Mental health challenges among students are a growing concern and can significantly affect their daily lives. Findings from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey show that in 2021, more than 4 in 10 adolescents felt persistently sad or hopeless, and nearly 1 out of 3 adolescents experienced poor mental health. Some students may use e-cigarettes (also called “vapes”) because they think it will help them feel better.

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Health High School Education Education 378

SHAPE America

AUGUST 12, 2024

As the principal of a preK-12 school in remote Eastern Oregon, one of the lessons I’ve learned is this: A school staff that is cared for is a staff that will be ready to take on any obstacle that comes their way. We all know that stress in the education field is at an all-time high. School administrators must figure out ways to support staff members, so they don’t join the growing number of teachers who have decided to leave the profession.

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Wellness Schooling Exercise Health 465

SHAPE America

JULY 25, 2024

Over the last decade, young people have begun spending drastically more time engaging with media, particularly digital media. This often exposes them to content and influences far beyond their maturity levels. The messages, images and information they engage with every day through media help shape their beliefs, attitudes, values, and identity. That’s why it’s so important to empower young people with the skills to recognize the shaping effects of media.

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Health Education Teaching Teaching Health 478

SHAPE America

JUNE 18, 2024

Findings from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey show that more than 2.1 million U.S. middle and high school students use e-cigarettes (also called “vapes”). Tobacco use in any form, including vapes, is especially unsafe for kids, teens, and young adults. Most vapes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm brain development. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can impact students’ learning, mood, and attention.

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Education Education High School Academics 285

SHAPE America

JUNE 6, 2024

Leadership is a balance of art and science; whether in a boat on the water, serving in the military, or learning in a classroom, success hinges on remaining calm as you navigate the storm of outside influences, understanding the individuals you lead and inspiring the desire to “own your role.” Drawing from 12 years of experience as a coxswain in the sport of rowing and eight years as an officer in the Marine Corps, the parallels between these seemingly disparate domains are pretty apparent.

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Achievement Coaching Sports Sports 267

SHAPE America

JUNE 4, 2024

When I began my teaching career in 2007, I was 22 years old. Four years of college had gone by faster than I could blink my eyes and then I was back in high school — now responsible for the education of students who were only four to seven years younger than me. Like the Eminem song, my palms were sweaty, my knees were weak, and my arms were heavy. I was scared out of my mind.

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Physical Education Teacher Education Education 469

SHAPE America

MAY 29, 2024

Helping keep students safe goes beyond the classroom and campus setting. As schools let out for the summer and summer camps begin, there are a few ways to help students stay safer in, on or around the water. Why is water safety so important? The statistics tell the story. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14 (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

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Education Education Teaching Teaching 267

SHAPE America

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Wisconsin Health and Physical Education (WHPE), a SHAPE America state affiliate, has been “speaking out” for quality health and physical education in Wisconsin for more than two decades. Over the years, our organization has learned that advocacy requires work — but it can be done, and it does work. If you follow and adapt the described steps in this article for your state’s situation, positive results will happen.

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Physical Education Education Education Health 436

SHAPE America

DECEMBER 12, 2023

In 2023, I presented a session at the SHAPE America National Convention & Expo in Seattle with Jessica Adkins, the 2022 SHAPE America Western District High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. The session — titled “Death: Let’s Talk About It” — was based on our personal experiences navigating through the loss of loved ones. The reality of death is that it is a natural and inevitable part of life — so why are we so uncomfortable (or afraid) to talk about it?

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Health Education Teaching Teaching Health 313

SHAPE America

DECEMBER 5, 2023

As American society and schools experience growing diversity and interconnectedness, our responsibilities as teachers must embrace pedagogical approaches that nurture and celebrate diversity, inclusion, and empathy. I am a physical education teacher in New York City who is committed to embracing a more inclusive and empathetic teaching style in physical education.

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Physical Education Teaching Teaching Education 394

SHAPE America

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

As a physical education teacher, I have been doing school fundraisers for 23 years. For 18 of those years, I did Hoops for Heart through the American Heart Association. In spring 2019, my school, Odessa Upper Elementary, was one of the pilot schools for SHAPE America’s health. moves. minds. FUNdraiser , and 2022-2023 was our fifth year of participation.

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PE Schooling Elementary PE Teacher 461

SHAPE America

OCTOBER 17, 2023

Health Literacy Is an Everyday Issue Health Literacy Month is an opportune time to consider the role you play in helping and educating people, especially youth, on making healthy choices. Health literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.

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Health Teacher Assessment Education 380

SHAPE America

OCTOBER 12, 2023

Every November, schools throughout Kentucky celebrate Kindness Across the Commonwealth , a week-long event started by KYSHAPE in 2020 to spread kindness throughout our state while promoting lessons and activities from SHAPE America’s health. moves. minds.® FUNdraiser. The week always aligns with World Kindness Day, which is held on November 13. Each day of Kindness Across the Commonwealth week has a different theme based on health. moves. minds., such as teamwork, gratitude, kindness, wellness,

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SHAPE America

OCTOBER 10, 2023

As we segue deeper into fall, the days get shorter and temperatures drop. There are fewer sunlit hours after school for children to be outside and physically active. This time of year, it is increasingly important to incorporate physical activity into the school day. Adding more movement — through physical education, recess and active classrooms — is essential for beating the almost-winter blues.

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Physical Activity Movement Schooling Physical Education 502

SHAPE America

OCTOBER 3, 2023

When a school is celebrating a sports championship, they often go big: rallies, trophies, and loud cheers all around. During Health Literacy Month this October, it’s a good time to ask: What if we celebrated health literacy like we celebrate sports? What if the entire school and community applauded students for developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to be health-literate individuals ?

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Health Schooling Creativity Health Education 462

SHAPE America

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023

October is Health Literacy Month, and the team at Ask, Listen, Learn is excited to collaborate with SHAPE America to share free resources to aid in starting conversations with your students about the importance of saying “NO” to underage drinking and empowering them in making informed, healthy choices. Please plan to join the Ask, Listen, Learn team and SHAPE America on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 7 p.m. for a webinar — Prevention Education is Health Literacy — to celebrate Health Literacy Mo

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Health Education Education Middle School 420

SHAPE America

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

“Prepare for battle at the plate, be mentally and physically sound to succeed.” Even without a history of military service, my father loved to incorporate military doctrine into my athletic training. “The only easy day was yesterday,” he would tell me during softball practices. These phrases, alongside plenty of other military jargon, were ones I heard frequently as he molded me into a sound softball athlete.

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Coaching Exercise Schooling Sport 267

SHAPE America

AUGUST 2, 2023

What do your students need? How do you know what to teach in your physical education classes? If you often find yourself wondering or asking in an online community what you should do in PE this week or next week or how to start, then you picked the right article to read. Let me tell you a little bit about me. I am a National Board Certified elementary physical education teacher with more than 13 years of experience.

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Physical Education PE Teacher Teacher Education 221

SHAPE America

AUGUST 1, 2023

Occam’s Razor — Search for the answer with the simplest and smallest set of elements to solve the problem at hand. Attendance is possibly the easiest and best way to ensure program success. For those in PE, you’re probably already required to track or record attendance, but is attendance being shown for anything more than just a headcount? In this, I hope to spark some ideas that will lead to changing conversations with admin, parents, students, or whoever the stakeholders are!

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PE Coaching Movement Wellness 221

SHAPE America

JULY 27, 2023

Educators feel the pressure all around them. As a principal, I certainly do as well. Whether it be addressing the learning loss many students experienced from these past few years, the pressures of high stakes testing, or the host of new policies and regulations that have surfaced, new initiatives are competing for limited instructional time. This leaves educators feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, searching for something to take off their plates.

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Wellness Health Schooling Elementary School 415

SHAPE America

JULY 25, 2023

“There are more skills and content than I can cover. How do I decide what to teach?” The question above is one I am often asked as the person responsible for health and adapted/physical education in Oregon’s Portland Public Schools (PPS). And it is a fair question. PPS provides more health education than many school districts in the United States. Students in our district receive health education every year in grades K-8 along with two required semesters in high school, with daily lessons/classe

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SHAPE America

JUNE 20, 2023

As educators, we must always be reflecting on and working toward supporting all of our students, including marginalized youth who may face additional barriers and challenges in and outside of school. However, months of recognition — such as Pride Month — provide an opportunity for us to intentionally take time to celebrate and commemorate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride and to consider actions we can take to support LGBTQ+ youth and the broader LQBTQ+ community.

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Schooling Sex Ed Psychology Physical Education 221

SHAPE America

JUNE 15, 2023

Let’s face it. There are a lot of differing views in the world today. When I came into education, I wanted to be a mentor and give students the chance to have one more teacher who looked like them (multicultural, curly hair, etc.). I still believe students are looking for a sense of connection and belonging in school. We heard it all during the COVID-19 pandemic: “ Maslow before Bloom.

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Schooling Physical Education Education Education 504

SHAPE America

MAY 23, 2023

As an elementary physical education teacher in the Bronx, NY, I’m always looking for ways to stretch my PE budget and introduce my students to new physical activities. Over the last few years, I have won quite a few grants. They really have made a difference for my students. Here are some examples of the types of grants I’ve received, along with my advice on how you might find similar grants for your physical education classes.

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Physical Education Education Education Elementary 364

SHAPE America

APRIL 20, 2023

National PE & Sport Week (May 1-7) is just about here. And with the celebration of healthy lifestyles, active minds and bodies, let’s reflect on the importance of physical education and sports. SHAPE America’s National PE & Sport Week allows us to showcase, promote, advocate, and show off our best ideas. We also have the excitement of the spring weather that has graced us with its presence.

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Physical Activity PE Sports Sports 440

SHAPE America

APRIL 18, 2023

SHAPE America’s National Physical Education & Sport Week (May 1-7) is a celebration of the importance of physical education and sport in the lives of kids of all ages. The week also serves as the kickoff to National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Every May, we celebrate physical educators and coaches — the “champions” who help kids gain the confidence, competence, and motivation to be physically active in school, before and after school, and for the rest of their lives.

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SHAPE America

MARCH 23, 2023

On February 15, 2023, more than 130 dedicated health and physical education professionals from 33 states attended SHAPE America’s SPEAK Out! Day on Capitol Hill. At this annual event, members of the HPE community meet with representatives of Congress to advocate for continued support and robust funding for health and physical education. After attending SPEAK Out!

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SHAPE America

MARCH 21, 2023

As a physical educator in northern Minnesota, I have to be prepared for long winters with lots of snow! Because I still want my students to get outside for fresh air and some natural vitamin D, I’ve gotten creative with one of my favorite units, which focuses on a standards-based approach with teaching opportunities in social and emotional learning.

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Elementary PE Creativity Physical Education 388

SHAPE America

MARCH 16, 2023

Every single day, youth—like all people—make choices that affect their health, including the use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs. It is critical to support youth in making informed, health-promoting choices. Educators play a critical role in helping youth develop the fundamental health literacy skills that will support their health and well-being throughout their lives.

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SHAPE America

MARCH 14, 2023

We teach at the Ancona School, a small, progressive elementary school in the Hyde Park area of Chicago’s South Side. Each year, our school’s Gone Fishin’ trip combines physical education with outdoor recreation. However, while fishing provides a pretext for this annual outing, the real goal is to give students an immersive opportunity for exploration and skill development in a natural setting.

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Recreation Physical Education Education Education 411

SHAPE America

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Vaping nicotine can sideline young athletes. You can help keep them in the game. The Price of Vaping Nicotine Logan was a young athlete who started vaping. After a few months, she felt so bad she didn’t want to leave her house. Isaak was a football player with dreams of competing in college, but vaping made him feel like he was going to have a heart attack.

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Physical Fitness Coaching Teacher Government 335

SHAPE America

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

Each year, SHAPE America members vote for candidates to the SHAPE America Board of Directors, which is the organization’s governing body composed of 11 professional members. SHAPE America serves as the voice for 200,000+ health and physical education professionals across the United States, and the organization is committed to diverse leadership on its Board.

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