NEWS RELEASE # 61
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2011
APS: Home to the Central District Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year
Aurora West College Preparatory Academy’s Andrea McCarthy will be honored as the Central District Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) at its national convention in San Diego, California, March 29 – April 1. The Central District represents a nine-state area from Colorado to Minnesota. The award is given in recognition of outstanding teaching performance at the middle school level and the ability to motivate today's youth to participate in a lifetime of physical activity.
McCarthy, a physical education teacher for 17 years, nine at Aurora West College Preparatory Academy, will vie with three other district winners for the National Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award at this year’s convention. The award is sponsored by NASPE and Sportime, an innovator of equipment and services for physical educators.
The National Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award recipients will be announced on Friday, April 1, at the NASPE Hall of Fame Banquet, sponsored by Playworld Systems®, a leading manufacturer of imaginative playground equipment and the creator of ENERGI™ Total Body Fitness System. Golf great Annika Sörenstam will also be inducted that evening into the NASPE Hall of Fame.
“Many of the students I have who are not already active and involved in sports will leave and never exercise again,” said McCarthy. “The goal is to educate students on childhood obesity and the possible effects of inactivity. The hope is that they will find joy in physical activity through the lessons I teach and be motivated to keep moving well into their adult life.”
McCarthy’s physical education program focuses on a pilot program she learned from professional fitness trainer, Chad Jones and the Sport Xcel Foundation called the Sport Xcel Fitness Model – engaging students in different warm-up routines, dynamic stretches and exercises with or without equipment. Under this model, McCarthy looks to infuse fitness into skill development.
“Andrea has been teaching under my supervision for the past nine years,” says Aurora West Principal Dale Krueger. “Variety is the keystone to her teaching. She truly understands how to keep students interested, engaged and challenged.”
McCarthy has also helped shape the K-12 curriculum in Aurora Public Schools and around the state of Colorado. She served as a middle school representative helping to completely revamp the curriculum to align more with the national standards.
McCarthy’s professional accolades include the 2010 Colorado Outstanding Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year, a 2009 nomination for the same award and serving as a pilot of the Sport Xcel Fitness Program for the Sport Xcel Foundation. In addition, McCarthy published an article in the August 2009 issue of the COAHPERD Journal, “It’s Never Too Late to Re-invent Yourself as a Teacher” and served as a contributing writer for the March 2010 story in Mile High Sports Magazine, “Reversing the Trend,” about the Sport Xcel Program.
Her professional affiliations include the National Association for Sport and Physical Education/American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NASPE/AAHPERD) and the Colorado Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD). McCarthy received her bachelor’s degree in K-12 Physical Education from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in Education with a Technology emphasis from City University. McCarthy is currently COAHPERD secretary and the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) chair for COAHPERD.
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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Paula Hans at 303-326-2755 for more information
APS Communication Department
Georgia Durán, Chief Communication Officer
303-365-7805
FAX: 303-326-1939
e-mail: grduran@aps.k12.co.us
http://www.aps.k12.co.us/communications
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