Contest Highlights Local Athletic Achievement as
Well as the Changing Field of Physical Education
By Michael Nicholas and Kevin Padilla
Adelphi University and local educators have been at the forefront of promoting lifetime physical activity in physical education. In January, Adelphi launched and hosted a Most Physically Educated Competition. Students and teachers from 15 Nassau County high schools competed in various events while also learning how to sustain a physically active lifestyle post-graduation.
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Students from 15 Nassau County
High Schools participated
in activities like the Pacer Test
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Kevin Mercier, assistant professor of exercise
science, health studies, physical education and sport management, and one of
the main organizers of the event, noted the changing attitudes towards physical
education during both the student competition and the teacher’s workshop. “The
shift in physical education, within the schools in Nassau County, is a shift from
a team sports, competitive environment, to a focus on lifetime activity by all
to combat the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle,” said
Mercier. Through collaborating with the schools and providing professional
development to physical education teachers and district athletic directors, the
event aimed to add a greater focus on continuing to live a physically active
life beyond structured physical education classes.
Over the course of the all-day
event, the students competed in various physical activities such as a push-up
challenge and a basketball and badminton competition, as well as submitting
their written essays regarding the importance of physical education in their
lives. Sarah Morgan, a senior from Floral Park Memorial High School, the
highest scoring female competitor and one of two winners of the essay contest,
stressed the impact that her physical education program had on her. “I am very
appreciative of the physical education teachers I’ve had in the past that
really influenced me and so I’m really glad that I got to represent them.”
Finishing alongside her as highest scoring male was Steven Chambers, a junior
from New Hyde Park Memorial High School.
While the students were showcasing
their athleticism and ability to work well with others, their teachers had
activities to complete as well, organized by Adelphi faculty and current
Adelphi University physical education majors. Teachers participated in a
variety of subject bridging tasks that incorporated literacy skills such as
memory, communication, and language in well-known physical education exercises.
The outcome of the event served both teachers and students and provided a
newfound appreciation of living a healthy lifestyle. Jacqueline Rizzuti ’05, a
New Hyde Park physical education and health teacher summed up the program by
saying, “It is a great way to see what the physical education programs have to
offer, and it helps all of the students to see what’s out there in the world
because some of them don’t realize the benefit physical education has on them.”
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Adjunct Tom Howard (Left) and
Assistant Professor Kevin Mercier (far right)
with the first place winners
Steven Chambers and Sarah Morgan
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Due to the success of the program, organizers hope that this annual
competition continues to grow with more Long Island school district
participation.
Winners:
Highest
Scoring Male: Steven Chambers; New Hyde Park
Highest
Scoring Female: Sarah Morgan; Floral Park
Best
Essay: Sarah Morgan; Floral Park; Hannah Arkin; New Hyde Park
Highest
Pacer Score: Male: Claude Parulo; Valley Stream Central; Female: Ashley
Sheerin; North Shore
Highest Push-Up
Score: Male: Guillermo Ordonez; Floral Park; Female: Sarah Morgan; Floral Park
Highest
Scoring School: New Hyde Park Memorial High School
About Adelphi: A modern university
with deep roots
Adelphi
University is a nationally ranked, doctoral research university offering
exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training with
particular strength in its Core Four—AU Arts and Humanities, AU STEM and Social
Sciences, AU Professions, and AU Health and Wellness.
Founded in
Brooklyn in 1896, Adelphi was one of the first coeducational institutions of
higher education in New York State and is Long Island’s oldest private
coeducational university. Today Adelphi serves nearly 7,500 students from 38
states and 46 countries at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New
York—just 23 miles from New York City’s cultural and internship
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Hudson Valley and across Long Island) and online.
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