PE Speaker Series
In August 2011, Shape Up SF's PE Advocates presented a series of excellent speakers who inspired and renewed understanding of the many important benefits of physical education and its impact on academic achievement. Visit our Tools and Resources page to hear interviews of each of our speakers and to view Youtube clips of Ken Dyar's dynamic presentation.
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AUGUST 4
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Ken Dyar, Coordinator of Physical Education, Wellness, and Athletic Competition in the Delano Union School District, talked about PE as a tool to help close the achievement gap, to improve the health and wellness of our students, and to advocate for your child to get the quality PE the s/he deserves. Ken has been the recipient of numerous awards, including California Teacher of the Year in 2006.
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AUGUST 11
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Dr. John Ratey’s book, SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, explores the connection between exercise and the brain’s performance. Exercise improves our ability to learn, deal with stress and anxiety, and is a strategy for combating childhood obesity. SPARK is fueling a movement to re-engineer school practices and medical recommendations to establish curriculum, lifestyles and corporate practices based on scientific principles.
After a new PE program was instituted at an Illinois school district, test scores soared—ranking first in the world in science and sixth in math. Ratey’s research makes the case that PE should be an integral part of a well rounded education as well as a strategy for combating childhood obesity.
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AUGUST 25
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Darin Curtis, Physical Education Teacher at Tierra del Sol Middle School in San Diego, and California’s 2011 Teacher of the Year, addressed strategies to create a school culture of health and fitness by providing a comprehensive and quality PE program that will instill a lifelong love of fitness in our children.
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Outreach Opportunities and Resources
YOU can be a PE Advocate. We need your help to spread the word about why PE is important for not just the physical, but academic health of our children. Let us know if you'd like to subscribe to our PE Action Listserv.
Here are a few resources for you to use when talking to your school principal, administrators, teachers, and friends.
Outreach Postcard (PDF) PE for Health & Academics (PDF) PE Assessment & Forum
Overview (PDF)
Click on the image to the left to download a slide that shows how aerobic exercise primes the brain for optimal learning.
Check back for more information and resources!
