2005 RIAHPERD Award Winners

Student Scholarship Winners

1. Alyson St. Amand - Alyson attends Rhode Island College as a physical education, adapted physical education, and health education major. She performed over 600 hours of community service last year alone. Alyson has several years of coaching experience, she is a member of the Health and PE Majors Club at RIC, and she is a member of both RIAHPERD and AAHPERD. Alyson was nominated for this award with high recommendations from her Rhode Island College professors.

2. Christine Turbitt - Christine is a sophomore majoring in physical education at Springfield College. Christine is on the Springfield College Women's Soccer team, does a lot of community service work with special populations, has a great physical education and wellness philosophy and was nominated for this award with high recommendations from her college professors.

3. Megan Silvia - Megan could not be here today because she is at the University of New Hampshire where she is enrolled in her freshman year in the physical education program. Megan attended Portsmouth High School and had an impressive career in athletics. She has both leadership and coaching experience and also has performed diverse community service.

Professional Awards

Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year:

The person receiving this award works at the Hope Valley Elementary School in the Chariho School District. Her entire school community benefits from having her there. She's active both in teacher leadership and parent/community involvement. She has instituted a Family Fitness Campaign at her school and she is also involved with the Move in the Morning program for children who get to school early for day care. She serves on the PTO, SIT, coordinates the Feinstein efforts at the school, and she coordinates the school's professional development plan, among other things. This awardee has been involved on the state level with being an active member in the development of the Rhode Island Physical Education Standards. She has also been an important part of RIAHPERD, ending her term as Past President today, and as the Council for Conventions member to the Eastern District Association of AAHPERD. She serves as a cooperating teacher for both RIC and URI, is this year's RIAHPERD Conference Manager and on top of all that and a lot, lot, more, she is working on acquiring a doctorate. I cannot think of anyone else that is more deserving of this award than her. It is with great pleasure that I present the 2005 RIAHPERD Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year award to Ms. Catherine Moffitt.

Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year

The recipient of the 2005 RIAHPERD Middle School Teacher of the Year award works in Barrington. She has worked in Barrington for 21 years. During that time she taught middle school physical education and has been a coach at the high school. She has also coached at both Wheaton College and Barrington College. She was named Coach of the Year by Words Unlimited and has been inducted into the Rhode Island College Hall of Fame. Community service is also an important part of her life. She serves on the local soccer games committee in her community and also coaches basketball, softball, lacrosse, and track. I am pleased to present the 2005 RIAHPERD Middle School Teacher of the Year award to Annmarie Marino.

Dance Educator of the Year

The Dance Educator of the Year awardee's role in dance education in RI has been important from the beginning of her days as an educator in the state. She has contributed at conferences, worked with students in grades K-12, has been an Artistic Director for the Chance to Dance program, she's worked at Hope High School and Roger Williams Middle School, in Providence and is a dance educator at the Providence Academy for International Studies. She is a key player in dance, dance education, and educational reform. This recipient works to infuse her students with a love of dance and teaches her students how learning to dance hones life skills. She helps people to understand how dance plays important roles in our diverse communities and lives. She is part of the team working on the High School graduating Proficiency in the Arts requirement for all students and has also worked with the Rhode Island Department of Education on Goals 2000 and other plans to raise the level of student work. She has also authored articles that have appeared in the Journal of Dance Education, Dance Teacher, and she is an author with Human Kinetics. She is truly deserving of the 2005 RIAHPERD Dance Educator of the Year Award, Ms. Marty Sprague.  Marty was unable to attend the conference.

Meritorious Service

This year the RIAHPERD Awards Committee found it necessary to award the Meritorious Service Award to two recipients. These two people have accomplished amazing deeds in Rhode Island. The Meritorious Service Award is given to individuals for their service to the association, or for their distinctive leadership in the fields of health, physical education, recreation, or dance. These two professionals have more than met that criteria.

The first recipient is not able to be here today due to already being in Vancouver, British Columbia at a conference. However, she has many accomplishments which have helped to forward the implementation of high quality, technology infused, physical education in our state. To name a few things she has: received several awards including the Southern District AAHPERD Outstanding College/University Physical Educator, and the Eastern District AAHPERD Outstanding Professional Award. She serves as the Eastern District Association's editor for the Easterner Express Newsletter, she serves on the Physical Best Steering Committee and the Public Relations & Legislative Affairs Committee for AAHPERD, she regularly presents at conferences at the state, district, national, and international levels, and she has been published over 65 times, to name just a few of her past endeavors. I think the most dramatic affect she has had on teaching and learning is when she wrote and received not one, but two Carol M. White PEP Grants. With these grants she was able to train over 400 Rhode Island physical education teachers in the use of physical education technology such as, the FitnessGram Physical Fitness Assessment Software, Heart Rate Monitors, and Pedometers. There isn't enough time to list everything that this recipient has done to earn this award, trust me when I say she is more than worthy. It is with great pleasure that RIAHPERD awards the Meritorious Service Award to Dr. Debra Ballinger of the University of Rhode Island.

The next recipient for the RIAHPERD Meritorious Service Award is just as deserving as the first. Her long list of accomplishments are due to her passion and desire to move her profession forward. She has served as a dance instructor and ballet supervisor at the Kingstown Dance Center for 25 years, she was a dance instructor at the Academy of Dance Arts in both Kansas and Massachusetts, and at Art in Motion for 2 years in Rhode Island. She is a past Vice President of Dance for EDA and also a conference planner for several different conferences. She has authored 5 books for Human Kinetics, and has received achievement awards at various levels from Dance Alliance, EDA, RIAHPERD, and the National Dance Educators Organization.

One of her peers says: "Helene is a bridge maker. She is a visionary with the ability to carry out her plans with careful attention to detail. She can bring people together for the common good."

Another colleague says: "Her commitment to the physical health and creative well being of all children through creative movement and dance is exceptional."

I have had the pleasure of knowing this person for the past 10 years. I know her as both the founder and administrator of the Chance to Dance program. If you've never seen the Chance to Dance show, you are missing out. The program provides a certified dance instructor that comes into the school for a 45 minute dance class once a week. The boys and girls in the program learn dance terminology, dance concepts, dance movements, and two dances that they perform on stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center. It is truly amazing since they only have a few hours for dress rehearsal before putting on a high energy show with hundreds of other students from other schools. It takes place the third week in May at PPAC. The classes are infused with energy, literacy, physical activity, and a lot of fun! If you want more information about this program and how to get it at your school see this RIAHPERD Award Winner. With all that being said, I am pleased to announce that Helene Scheff is the recipient of a 2005 RIAHPERD Meritorious Service Award.

Honor Award

The RIAHPERD Honor Award is the most prestigious award given by our association. In addition to fulfilling the requirements for the meritorious service award, nominees must also meet requirements selected from an assortment of categories. These categories include leadership roles on the state, district, or national levels, either as an elected officer, or as a committee person. Also, evidence of presentations, lectures, research, publications, or other outstanding contributions to their field is required. RIAHPERD's recipient this year is a University of Rhode Island graduate and is currently an elementary health and physical educator at the Narragansett Elementary School in Narragansett, RI. This year's recipient has been associated with and served RIAHPERD for many years. He is a past president, served on the conference planning committees for both RIAHPERD and EDA, he is the RIAHPERD liaison to the CVS Downtown 5K Road Race, he has served on the RIAHPERD Scholarship Committee, the East Greenwich High School Booster Club Scholarship Committee, and he has presented at several RIAHPERD Conferences in the past. This active professional also volunteers in his community on a regular basis. The East Greenwich Little League, and the East Greenwich Soccer Association have benefited from his expertise. He has worked in Program Direction and Instruction at the Wanskuck Boys Club in Providence, the South County YMCA at Ladd School, for United Cerebral Palsy of RI, the Groden Center, Rhode Island Special Olympics, the BiCounty Collaborative in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, and Narragansett Elementary School. On top of all this he also has a lot of coaching experience. He has taught and coached swimming and diving at several places including the Kirkbrae Country Club, the Kendbrin Swim Club, Barrington High School, LaSalle Academy and the University of Rhode Island during his tenure. He was a member of the Rhode Island Physical Education Standards Committee and also of the RI Assessments Committee which developed sample assessments to go along with the RI PE standards. He is a wonderful mentor and a role model for his students and peers. The recipient of the 2005 RIAHPERD Honor Award is Mr. Paul McCaffrey.

Announcements for the Conference

Socials

Last April, RIAHPERD held a social at the Mews Tavern and Restaurant. The purpose of the social was for both students and professionals to meet, network, and just get together to talk in a casual atmosphere. The social was a success. It was attended by approximately 25 professionals and students.

RIAHPERD just had its second social!  It was held at Dave's Bar and Grill on Post Road in Warwick, RI, on Thursday, November 10, 2005.  The social was another success.  Although attendance was not as expected, the membership that attended that evening had a great time.  RIAHPERD's newest member, Kara Haesche, a long term substitute in the Exeter-West Greenwich School District, won two tickets to the sold out Aerosmith concert held Monday, November 14, and the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI.

RIAHPERD sponsored the excellent appetizers, and new friends were made that evening.  Membership played pool, networked, and in general had a great time.  Stay tuned for the next RIAHPERD "Social".

RIAHPERD now has a list serv that you can sign up for. If you are on the list serv, we will not sell your email address. The list serv is a way in which you can receive emails (once in a while) about RIAHPERD events and notices. If you want to sign up for the list serv please go to the registration table and ask for the RIAHPERD List Serv Sign-up. Please print your name and email address neatly, it could mean the difference of actually being on the list serv, or not.

RIAHPERD sponsors 5 Mini Grants of $500 each. If you have an idea and need some funding, please go to the RIAHPERD webpage and go to the page: Grants/Scholarships/Financial Aid link, scroll down to the RIAHPERD Mini Grant Information link and click on it. You will find the application with more information about the grant.

In 2007 the EDA and AAHPERD Conventions are combined and will be held in Baltimore, MD, from March 13 to March 17, 2007.  Join other RIAHPERD members at the convention. If you are interested in attending and want some more information, please email Shawna.