What a year! I started my role as Active Schools Manager in September of 2021, so 2022 was my first full calendar year in this position. I love it more and more every day and I am grateful to Charlene Burgeson for giving me the opportunity to join the team. However, this is not about me. Due to our strategic partnerships, dedicated committees and work groups, and the collective impact of Champions worldwide, Active Schools has accomplished a great deal! I would like to specifically call out and thank Brian Dauenhauer from the University of Northern Colorado Active Schools Institute for everything he and his team have done to support the vision and mission of Active Schools.
Here are some of our 2022 highlights…
January 2022
Active Schools launched a new podcast, “Active Kids Do Better,” available on Apple, Spotify, and Anchor. The most recent episode is available here.
February 2022
February is Active Classrooms Month and we shared a variety of tools and resources including daily energizers, physical activities, weekly newsletters, webinars, and podcasts to schools across the country and around the world.
March 2022
The concept of providing free online professional development through the UNC Active Schools was discussed. The first course, “Evidence-Based Strategies for Physical Education & Physical Activity” began available in the fall provides 18 hours of continuing education credits. Two additional courses will be available in 2023.
April 2022
Members of the Active Schools team attended the SHAPE America National Convention in New Orleans to present four sessions that shared some of our work, research, and accomplishments. We are already looking forward to presenting at SHAPE Seattle.
May 2022
Active Schools launched a new campaign called “Play All May” with the goal of promoting all forms of physical activity. Play All May offers schools, families, and communities a variety of ideas to be physically active and play all month long.
June 2022
Active Schools continued to spread the message regarding the importance of physical activity through virtual conference presentations, social media, and website updates.
July 2022
Our strategic partner, UNC Active Schools Institute, helped produce foundational documents that we are providing for free to teachers. The four resources that are now available include: Active Schools Guiding Framework, Active Schools Implementation Guide, Active Schools Evidence-Based Practices Menu, and Active Schools Evaluation Handbook.
August 2022
Active Schools hosted a virtual summit titled “Building Excellence: An Active Schools Framework as the Foundation for Success.” The week-long summit provided participants with 14 sessions that served as a roadmap for establishing an active school.
September
We launched a pilot program for Active Schools in Action, rebranded and adopted the Youth Activity Profile, and launched an online graduate-level course from UNC. It was a busy month!
October
Family PE Week was held from October 3-7. This year teachers were presented with the option of sending family engagement activities home or inviting parents into their classes to participate in physical education.
November
Active Schools participated in the AFHK National Conference on Child Health and Well-Being.
December
We are diligently planning the 2023 Active Schools National Summit that will be held July 19-21 at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO. Please consider joining us.
