SHAPE PA Spring 2025 Journal by SHAPEPAInnovation

Weareexcitedtopublishoursecond issueandlookingforwardtohowwe cancontinuetoconnectandbuild withyouthroughthisjournal!

Editors’ Note

DearReaders,

Welcome to our second issue of the SHAPE PA Journal! We are thrilled to present this edition, filled with fresh insights and contributions that reflect our ongoing commitment to physical education, health, and wellness in Pennsylvania.

As editors, we are excited to continue sharing valuable research, innovative practices, and thought-provoking discussions with you. Your support has been invaluable during this journey, and we are eager to continue reconnecting and engaging with our community through this journal.

Thank you for being an integral part of SHAPE PA. We hope you enjoy this latestissue!

Sincerely,

Drs.JenniferButz&JenniferThorp Editors,SHAPEPAJournal

LETTER PRESIDENT’S

Shaping A Brighter Future: Advancing Wellness, Professional Growth, & Community

It’s an exciting time to be a part of SHAPE PA, and I am honored to serve as your 2025 President as we work together toward shaping a brighter future for our members, students, and profession. This year, we’ve committed ourselves to strengthening the foundation of our organization and growing our impact and we’re already seeing the momentum.

Professional development continues to be a top priority, and we’re thrilled to offer more meaningful opportunities than ever before. This year’s 2025 SHAPE PA State Conference is set to be one of our best yet, featuring an outstanding lineup of presenters who bring passion, expertise, and fresh ideas to our new venue The Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, PA. Mark your calendars for November 13–14, 2025, and get ready for two days of learning, connection, and inspiration. Registration opens August 8—don’t miss your chance to lock in the early bird rate!

Behind the scenes, we’ve focused on improving organizational efficiency and collaboration. A new shared calendar for all SHAPE PA happenings is being implemented to keep our Executive Committee, Board of Directors, Committee Chairs, and Local Associations aligned and informed. We’re also revitalizing and launching committees to ensure that more voices are heard and more hands are contributing to our shared mission and vision. One exciting development is the launch of our Mentorship Committee designed to connect new teachers with experienced educators for guidance, encouragement, and support. We’ve also recently introduced a Sponsorship and Partnership Coordinator role to help us better secure meaningful partnerships and strengthen existing relationships.

LETTER PRESIDENT’S

We continue to expand the value of SHAPE PA membership by adding member-only resources like our exclusive SHAPE PA Music Playlist and we’ll soon be introducing activity sheets and ready-to-use lesson plans for both health and physical education professionals. Our goal is to give you resources that make your work easier and more effective.

In keeping with the vision of overall wellness in Pennsylvania, we launched our second statewide wellness challenge, “Spring into SHAPE”, this spring. This initiative welcomed both SHAPE PA Members and Pre-K through 12th grade students to register and take part in building healthier habits. We’re excited to share that nearly 300 students joined the challenge, taking real steps toward healthier lifestyles—together. I’ve also had the honor of representing SHAPE PA at both the NJAHPERD State Conference in February and the SHAPE America National Convention in April. Both events were fantastic experiences that allowed me to connect with incredible professionals, learn from the best in our field, and proudly represent our organization on a national level.

Shaping a Brighter Future is more than just my presidential theme. It’s a vision that’s already coming to life through the passion of our members, the progress of our initiatives, and the promise of what’s still to come. Thank you for being part of this journey and for everything you do to make a difference in the lives of your students and in our profession. Together, we are shaping a brighter future.

In health and gratitude,

Chance Condran President, SHAPE PA

The 2025 State Conference will be held at an exciting new location! Mark your calendars for November 13-14, 2025, as we take over the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, Pennsylvania. With the entire facility reserved just for us, we’re confident you’ll love everything this venue has to offer.

Stay tuned there’s much more to come in 2025!

Thank you to our 2025 Conference Planning Team

Nicole McCoy

Brianna McCabe Kennedy

Deb Lawlor

Alenna Condran

Dawn Brahler

Chance Condran

Andrew Silverman

Kristin Hunt

Taylor Sees

REFLECTING ON MY FIRST YEAR

Dawn Bugajski Brahler - SHAPE PA Executive Director

As I look back on my first year as Executive Director of SHAPE PA, I am both humbled and energized by the incredible experiences and progress we have made together as an organization. This past year has been a whirlwind of growth, learning, and collaboration, and I am excited to share some of the highlights that have defined this journey.

REFLECTIONS ON EMPOWERMENT

INSIGHTS FROM SPEAK OUT DAY AND BEYOND

One of the most impactful moments of the journey was attending SPEAK Out! Day in 2024 for the first time This experience provided a powerful opportunity to advocate for health and physical education on Capitol Hill, engaging with policymakers and ensuring that our voices were heard at the national level. It was inspiring to witness firsthand the importance of our collective advocacy efforts in shaping the future of our profession.

In addition to SPEAK Out! Day, I also had the privilege of attending the SHAPE America National Convention in 2024 for the first time. This event was an incredible experience, allowing me to connect with leaders from across the country, explore innovative programs, and bring new ideas back to SHAPE PA. The convention reinforced the vital role of professional development and networking in our field and reaffirmed my commitment to fostering these opportunities for our members.

REFLECTING ON MY FIRST YEAR (CONTINUED)

WORKING WITH SHAPE PA LEADER

One of the most rewarding aspects of this past year was assisting our Past President, Andrew Silverman, in bringing his vision for the 2024 SHAPE PA Conference to life. And WOW what a conference it was! Packed with dynamic speakers, high-energy sessions, and countless networking opportunities, the event truly showcased the strength and passion of our community. It was incredible to see so many professionals come together to learn, share, and grow, and I am proud to have played a small role in its success.

MOVING FORWARD

As I move forward in my role, I remain committed to advancing SHAPE PA’s mission, fostering meaningful connections, and advocating for the importance of health and physical education. This past year has been an incredible journey, and I look forward to continuing to serve and support this amazing community in the years to come.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this experience. Your dedication, collaboration, and passion make SHAPE PA what it is today, and I am grateful to be on this journey with you.

WORKING WITH SHAPE PA COMMITEES

Beyond the conference, I have worked closely with the Professional Development Committee, ensuring they have the necessary tools to bring high-quality webinars to our membership. Additionally, I had the opportunity to attend the SHAPE America Leadership Summit and the Society of Association Management Leadership Conference, both of which are designed specifically for Executive Directors, Presidents, and President-Elects of state affiliates. These experiences have provided invaluable leadership training and resources, helping us become the best leaders possible for our members.

EXAMINING “STEADINESS”: SLEEP, GRIT, AND MENTAL HEALTH IN STUDENTS

James Davis, Ed.M, MA, RSCC*E; Dr. Kate Kalnes Ed.D., CSCS

Educators are understandably interested in student wellbeing, which can vary over the course of a year. To gain insight into the state of our students, we check in using a variety of methods, from casual conversation to in-class surveys. This winter we collected responses from 67 participants using the Self Awareness Survey as part of the curriculum for a Physical Education Strength and Conditioning course.

The survey includes questions from tools that have been psychometrically validated to measure an assortment of social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. In keeping with evolving literature about the relationship of sleep and mental health, we also asked questions from the Pittsburgh Sleep Survey (Carpenter & Andrykowski, 1998), including sleep and wake times, and total hours of sleep on average. Within the survey, one of the survey questions was of particular interest – we borrowed language from the Harvard Human Flourishing Study (VanderWeele et al, 2019) to investigate a simple but profound idea: “In general, how happy or unhappy do you usually feel?”

Student mental health concerns are on the rise (Abrams, 2022; Lipson et al, 202, Chirikov et al., 2020). Schools expanding mental health support do so amid regular questions of efficacy (Chamberlin, 2009). Despite many wellintended initiatives, mental health trends have not changed much over the years. With this in mind, we paid close attention to the answer to this question, as life satisfaction seems like an undeniably important goal for students, coaches, parents… and everyone else. The results of the survey, which are not presented as scientific “proof” of anything in particular, gave us much to consider and have influenced our curriculum.

Examing Happiness

What seems to influence what we refer to as the Happiness response? The first variable that correlated with happiness was sleep. Sleep deprivation has been on the rise in recent decades, and sleep quantity has been routinely associated with mental health concerns (Davis, CITE). In the construction of mental health support programs, it is possible that schools and other organizations might be overlooking fundamental physiological factors, even a variable as obvious as sleep (Davis, 2024; Davis, 2023).

Chronic sleep deprivation triggers alarm responses in both the body and mind, leading to increased negative emotions and impaired cognitive functions (Khan & Al-Jahdali, 2023). Conversely, extending sleep has been associated with enhanced performance in areas such as sustained attention and cognitive skills (Arnal et al, 2015).

In 2021, the CDC published a study by Blackwelder et al, wherein 273,695 US adults aged 18 to 64 were evaluated using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. Their evaluation found that respondents who averaged 6 hours or less of sleep per night were about 2.5 times more likely to have frequent mental distress (Blackwelder et al, 2021).

In our survey, administered in February 2025, the Low Sleep (LS) group, which accounts for respondents who sleep 6.5 hours or fewer on average, had Happiness scores that were 15.61% lower than the rest of the group, and 18.13% lower than well-rested peers in the High Sleep (HS) group.

This is a massive difference, but not surprising. The surprise, if there was one, came from the recognition that the low happiness scores were not universal across responses. A few respondents who slept 6.5 hours or fewer reported high scores in the Happiness measure (n= 7). This insight led us to investigate where else, within the rest of the SELbased responses, there might be a correlation.

Grit scores, which were collected using a consolidated score from multiple questions from the University of Pennsylvania’s Grit Survey (Mullen & Crowe, 2018; Duckworth & Yeager, 2015), were significantly higher in those with the strange combination of Low Sleep and High Happiness. The happy but sleep-deprived group scored 35.95% higher in “grit” than the rest of their LS peers.

Could grit be a mitigating factor for sleep deprivation? Do sleepdeprived people necessarily have to build grit to be fulfilled? It's hard to say, but these questions led us to further investigate grit within the research and in our home-grown data set.

Grit and Mental Health

Before proceeding, it is important to note that we are referring to grit as defined by the research; we are less interested in the assorted popular definitions of grit – it is not just a willingness to get into the muck, to work hard, or, as defined in a followup conversation with a local coach, “just be tough, be gritty; [the athletes] know what I mean.”

Instead, we use the research-based definition, explained by Dr. Angela Duckworth, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, which notes that grit is passion and sustained persistence toward long-term achievement. In her research, this measure of grit can predict the ability of high achievers to finish a challenging, long-term project – a quality held by National Spelling Bee champions and US Army cadets alike.

With that definition in mind, a 2018 study of 800 college-aged participants, led by Professor Musumari of Kyoto University of Public Health, found a significant correlation between grit and levels of depression and anxiety. Participants with higher grit scores reported favorably on mental health questions when compared to their peers (Musumari et al, 2018). A similar study surveyed another 1,224 college students and found comparable results (Yang et al, 2022). Grit seems to be a mitigating factor for interpersonal stress and psychosocial stability in high school aged students (Baylon et al, 2024), and a buffer for anxiety in NCAA athletes (Howard et al, 2022). Time after time, high levels of grit are aligned with lower depression and anxiety symptoms (Sharkey et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2018), as well as lower levels of self-reported stress (Mullen & Crowe, 2018; Kannangara et al., 2018).

As a matter of ethics and accuracy, we should note that grit has also made headlines for its misapplication – this is something that thoughtful people should also be in tune with (Credé, 2018). None of the SEL qualities that have longitudinal benefits, grit included, should be considered a “magic pill” to alleviate all concerns. Developing grit in young students is not sufficient to overcome environmental factors like poverty or crime; students in the south side of Chicago cannot be “taught grit” to overcome the broken windows of a classroom in winter.

Still, assuming practitioners understand the entirety of the situation, it seems that the research runs deep on the connection of mental health outcomes to both sleep and grit. So with the interest of our students in mind, we kept looking.

What We Found

Our students are telling us that Sleep and Grit both play a role in their Happiness. We recognize that this is a small sample population and should not be interpreted as scientific “proof” of any of these important theoretical concepts. Still, they have provided fantastic insights into the student experience.

Table 1

Average Happiness Scores compared to Sleep, Grit, and Combined Scores

On a 10-point scale, respondents who slept 6.5 hours per night or fewer rated their happiness at 6.67 (n=15), whereas those who slept 8 or more hours per night averaged a score of 8.00 (n=22), representing an 18.12% difference.

Also, on a 10-point scale, respondents who reported low grit scores rated their happiness at 6.38 (n=13), while those who had high grit scores reported an average of 7.4 (n=22) on the happiness measure. This represented a 14.80% swing.

Based on the research mentioned above, this should not be surprising: falling short of the CDC recommendations regarding sleep duration seems to impact mental health, at least in self-reported measures of happiness. Additionally, low grit, when compared to high grit, had a relevant impact on student happiness.

These responses made us wonder how the combination of a physical element (sleep) and a psychological element (grit) might impact the mental health (in the form of happiness) within this group.

If the respondent fell into both the High Sleep and High Grit categories (the HS+HG group), they reported being 18.67% happier than the rest of the group and, perhaps unsurprisingly, a staggering 28.57% higher than their peers with their Low Sleep and Low Grit (LS+LG) peers.

Comparing Sleep, Grit, and Combined Scores to Happiness

These results align with existing research in what is referred to as the High Order Performance framework. The framework (Figure 2) notes the importance of physiological wellness (highlighted by nutrition, movement, and sleep) in the pursuit of ‘high-order’ aims such as creativity and ethical productivity. On the path to highorder outcomes, built upon that ‘bedrock’ physiological level, one advances through language, communication, relationships, and character development/social emotional skills such as growth mindset, empathy, and… grit.

Figure 1

Important to note that while High Sleep (HS) scores, High Grit (HG) scores, and the combination of the two (HS+HG) seem to align with greater average happiness (8.0, 7.4, 8.0, respectively), these should not be considered “cures” to mental health concerns. They cannot guarantee happiness. But they do seem to have a steadying impact on potential happiness. In the group of students we surveyed, bolstered by decades of experience, we believe that the path to happiness might include what we are calling “steadiness”. We see steadiness as a combination of physical and psychological variables that allow one to build toward higher-order outcomes – that might be athletic performance, professional fulfillment, or, in this case, happiness. This includes a recognition that the absence of physiological and psychological wellness can create a state of “unsteadiness,” which might make happiness tougher to attain. Not impossible, but more of a challenge.

Figure 2

The High Order Performance Framework

THE HIGH ORDER PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK, DAVIS 2023

Environmental challenges matter. And if environmental challenges are outside of one’s control, the state of the individual entering that environment becomes the primary variable. If two people step out into wintry weather – the same environment with the same objective challenges – their relative steadiness will impact how they experience the situation. If we hope to improve mental health outcomes in a population, we would be well-served to aim for physical and psychological wellness. It is one component of the complicated world in which we live. It is the component over which we hold the greatest degree of agency.

Steadiness Curriculum

With all of this in mind, we note an opportunity to both encourage adequate sleep and coach for grit. While there are many reasons for one to be sleep deprived from psychological stress to environmental circumstance, we see an opportunity to teach for a preferred outcome we are referring to as ‘steady’. Too often, we watch driven individuals deprive themselves of the foundational human need for sleep in pursuit of more work, more study, or any of the distracting screens that might be in their lives.

Instead of coaching grit to endure early morning practices and late nights, what if we were to turn the narrative around and coach for grit as it pertains to the discipline needed to create an adequate sleep window. With plenty of available research of each topic, our recommendation is to ask these students three questions:

2)1)Whatareyourmotivesandgoals?

With this information, our hope is to support the creation of bedtime and morning routines. These routines will require novel levels of structure and rigor (challenge) that they must navigate over time. By asking about motives and goals, we hope to kindle reminders of the “goals” for which they can maintain “sustained passion” and, through their new routines, challenging situations which will require “perseverance” - that is, the components of grit.

Along the way, we will include stories of grit in the performance realm and ask athletes to research and present to class on an athlete in their sport who demonstrated grit, in a manner that aligns with the definition found in Duckworth’s research.

Future articles might examine the validity of a steadiness curriculum. Until then, our hope is that educators, parents, and leaders in all realms will help shift the narrative from developing grit in the absence of sleep, to teaching grit through the discipline required to prioritize sleep.

It might not be easy, but it will most certainly be worth it.

References

Abrams, Z. (2022, October 12). Student mental health is in crisis. Campuses are rethinking their approach. Monitor on Psychology, 53(7).

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/10/mental-health-campus-care

Arnal, P. J., Sauvet, F., Leger, D., van Beers, P., Bayon, V., Bougard, C., Rabat, A., Millet, G. Y., & Chennaoui, M. (2015). Benefits of Sleep Extension on Sustained Attention and Sleep Pressure Before and During Total Sleep Deprivation and Recovery. Sleep, 38(12), 1935–1943. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.5244

Blackwelder A, Hoskins M, Huber L. (2021). Effect of Inadequate Sleep on Frequent Mental Distress. Prev Chronic Dis 2021;18:200573. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.200573

Baylon, N. K., Abrea, L., Carpio, M. A., Mesa, N. E., Montesa, J. A., Pusta, C. E., & Sugatan, C. (2024). Grit and resilience as predictors of mental health outcomes of senior high school students. North American Journal of Psychology, 26(2), 435–448. Carpenter, J. S., & Andrykowski, M. A. (1998). Psychometric evaluation of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Journal of psychosomatic research, 45(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3999(97)00298-5

Credé, M. (2018). What Shall We Do About Grit? A Critical Review of What We Know and What We Don’t Know. Educational Researcher, 47(9), 606-611. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X18801322

Davis, J. D. (2024, Nov. 20). Keynote Address: Leading Toward a Healthier Future through Bedrock Education. NHAHPERD. Accessed: https://bedrockedu.com/thelab/leading-toward-a-healthier-future-through-bedrock-education

Davis, J.D. (2023). Using the High Order Performance Framework for Effective Leadership. Journal of Character and Leadership Development, 10(3), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.58315/jcld.v10.284

Duckworth, A. L., & Yeager, D. S. (2015). Measurement Matters: Assessing Personal Qualities Other Than Cognitive Ability for Educational Purposes. Educational researcher (Washington, D.C. : 1972), 44(4), 237–251.

https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X15584327

Garris, B. R., Ko, K., & Novotny, B. A. (2024). The Nitty Gritty of Stress and Mental Health: The Role of Grit in Moderating the Relationship Between Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. Journal of College Student Mental Health, 1–17.

https://doi.org/10.1080/28367138.2024.2405942

Gonzalez, O., Canning, J. R., Smyth, H., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2020). A Psychometric Evaluation of the Short Grit Scale: A Closer Look at its Factor Structure and Scale Functioning. European journal of psychological assessment : official organ of the European Association of Psychological Assessment, 36(4), 646–657.

https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000535

References

Khan, M. A., & Al-Jahdali, H. (2023). The consequences of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance. Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), 28(2), 91–99. Abrams, Z. (2022, October 12). Student mental health is in crisis. Campuses are rethinking their approach. Monitor on Psychology, 53(7).

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/10/mental-health-campus-care

Lipson, S. K., Zhou, S., Abelson, S., Heinze, J., Jirsa, M., Morigney, J., Patterson, A., Singh, M., & Eisenberg, D. (2022). Trends in college student mental health and helpseeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013–2021. Journal of Affective Disorders, 306, 138–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.038

Mullen, P. R., & Crowe, A. (2018). A psychometric investigation of the Short Grit Scale scale with a sample of school counselors. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 51(3), 151–162. Abrams, Z. (2022, October 12). Student mental health is in crisis. Campuses are rethinking their approach. Monitor on Psychology, 53(7). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/10/mental-health-campuscare

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Musumari, P. M., Tangmunkongvorakul, A., Srithanaviboonchai, K., Techasrivichien, T., Suguimoto, S. P., Ono-Kihara, M., & Kihara, M. (2018). Grit is associated with lower level of depression and anxiety among university students in Chiang Mai, Thailand: A cross-sectional study. PloS one, 13(12), e0209121. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209121

Sharkey, C. M., Bakula, D. M., Baraldi, A. N., Perez, M. N., Suorsa, K. I., Chaney, J. M., & Mullins, L. L. (2018). Grit, Illness-Related Distress, and Psychosocial Outcomes in College Students With a Chronic Medical Condition: A Path Analysis. Journal of pediatric psychology, 43(5), 552–560. Abrams, Z. (2022, October 12). Student mental health is in crisis. Campuses are rethinking their approach. Monitor on Psychology, 53(7). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/10/mental-health-campus-care

References

VanderWeele TJ, McNeely E, Koh HK. Reimagining Health—Flourishing. JAMA. 2019;321(17):1667–1668. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.3035

Yang, Q., Shi, M., Tang, D., Zhu, H., & Xiong, K. (2022). Multiple roles of grit in the relationship between interpersonal stress and psychological security of college freshmen. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.824214

Zhang, M. X., Mou, N. L., Tong, K. K., & Wu, A. M. S. (2018). Investigation of the Effects of Purpose in Life, Grit, Gratitude, and School Belonging on Mental Distress among Chinese Emerging Adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(10), 2147. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102147

Information about the authors:

James Davis, Ed.M, MA, RSCC*E

Director of Good Athlete Project

Director of Strength & Conditioning

New Trier Township High School (Winnetka, IL) jim@goodathleteproject.com

Dr. Kate Kalnes Ed.D., CSCS

Kinetic Wellness teacher

New Trier Township High School (Winnetka, IL) kalnesk@nths.net

Fundraising Incentives

SHAPE PA and SHAPE America are excited to launch our fundraising campaign and invite you to participate! This is a fantastic opportunity to support our State Association while earning some amazing rewards. Here’s how you can get involved - by raising funds and earning incentives from SHAPE PA at various levels:

Tier 1: $1,000 Raised

Incentive: Free SHAPE PA T-Shirt and raffle for $50 Gift card

Tier 2: $5,000+ Raised

Incentive: Free SHAPE PA T-Shirt and raffle for $75 Gift card

Tier 3: $10,000+ Raised

Incentive: Free SHAPE PA Membership and raffle for $100 Gift card

Tier 4: $20,000+ Raised

Incentive: Free SHAPE PA membership and free 2-day conference registration (value $200)

Your participation will make a significant impact, and we greatly appreciate your support. Let’s work together to achieve our fundraising goals and enjoy these fantastic rewards! Click here for more information.

The Influence of Physical Activity on Emotional Wellness

Drs. Connor Saker, Marguerite Carver, Peng Zhang, & Kevin Casebolt

Emotional wellness is the ability to manage and adapt to stressors and difficult circumstances in life (National Institute of Health, 2022). The word “emotions” is often used broadly as an umbrella term, yet Izard (2009) refers to an emotion as an ‘emotion schema’, which is emotion interacting dynamically with perceptual and cognitive processes to influence mind and behavior. Our emotions can range from positive emotions including interest and joy, to negative emotions like sadness, anger, and fear. These basic emotional feelings help organize and motivate rapid actions that are critical for adaptive responses to immediate challenges to survival or wellbeing (Izard, 2009) The level of emotion experienced by individuals is rather subjective with its origin influenced by environmental, psychological, biological, and/or social factors (Bhargava & Trivedi, 2018). Specifically, among college students, it is known that ‘academics’ is a core source of stress and anxiety that can impact their emotional wellness. Causes of stress and anxiety include overall course workload, crowded lecture halls, inadequate resources to complete assignments, continuous poor academic performance, uncertainty of employment upon graduation (Angolla & Ongori, 2009), competition with fellow students, and pressure from home (Angolla & Ongori, 2009; Fairbrother & Warn, 2003).

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a pivotal role in modulating the emotion feeling, but neither a high nor a low level of ANS activity is necessary for an emotion feeling to be experienced (Izard, 2009). The direct trigger(s) of an individual’s emotion is subjective; however, it is typically a result of a positive or negative environmental and/or situational experience. The experience(s) can cause a change in hormonal levels within the body thus resulting in the feeling of an emotion. While physiological change leading to emotion is rather complex and outside the scope of this paper, there are three hormones that play a principal role in regulating our emotions: serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins (Bany Saeed, Bani Melhem, & Al-Ababneh, 2023). These hormones allow individuals to experience feelings of happiness, calmness, sleep, mood, and confidence (serotonin); increase levels of motivation, pleasure, and creativity (dopamine); and alleviate sensations of pain, stress, and improve one’s overall mood (endorphins) (Movlonova, 2023). Exercise, whether it be aerobic or anaerobic in nature, has shown to positively impact these hormones (Pahlavani, 2024; Dinas et al., 2011; Wipfli et al., 2011), thus further supporting the use of exercise as medicine.

It has also been discussed that βendorphins, that are released during intense exercise, and dopamine can have an antidepressant effect by reducing feelings of anxiety and stress (Pahlavani, 2024). As a result of routine exercise, a change in one or more of these hormones may result in a decrease in stress, anxiety, and depression thus positively influencing one’s emotional wellness.

As previously discussed within this paper, routine physical active can have a profound impact on various physiological parameters. In addition, physical activity also has a positive influence on psychological health. Sidman et al., (2009) found that an increase in one’s ‘exercise self-efficacy’, the belief in one’s capability to perform a behavior, can be a predictor of one’s emotional wellness.

There is a considerable amount of literature directly assessing physical activity and its impact on parameters that can impact emotional wellness

However, while moderate-to-high intensity exercise appears to be more beneficial, there does not seem to be a ‘dose-response’. Aerobic-based physical activity ranging from walking and jogging (Broman-Fulks & Storey ,2008) and cycling at varying intensities (Meyer et al., 2016; Balchin et al., 2016) decreases levels of anxiety and depression, while varying levels of endurance exercises for 50-minutes enhances overall mood post-exercise (Buscombe & Inskip, 2013). Oddie et al., (2014) also found that after children and adolescents (ages 10-17 years old) completed 8-weeks of recreational activities such as floor hockey, rock-climbing, weight training, yoga, and dancing 2-3 time per week, individuals experienced decreases in depression and increased motivation and the ability to cope with stressful events

When completing resistance training (RT) exercise, Arent et al., (2005) found that when both female and male undergraduate students completed moderate-intensity exercise, they experienced a decrease in overall anxiety levels and an increase in ‘calmness’. Similarly, Cassilhass et al., (2007) also saw improvements in depression, anger, confusion, and overall mood following a bout of moderate-intensity RT in sedentary, elderly males. When combining both endurance and resistance training, Kampshoff et al., (2015) reported a significant decrease in overall anxiety and quality of life in cancer survivors following a 12-week high-intensity training program.

Emotional wellness is a pivotal factor to an individual’s overall wellness

Although one’s emotions can vary day-to-day and week-to-week, it is helpful to know that following a routine physical activity regimen can aid in decreasing levels of stress, anxiety, and/or depression in addition to the various physiological advantages associated with physical activity.

Information about the authors:

Dr. Connor Saker

Assistant Professor East Stroudsburg Univeristy Csaker@esu.edu

Marguerite Carver

Assistant Professor East Stroudsburg University mcarver1@esu edu

Dr. Peng Zhang

Professor East Stroudsburg University pzhang@esu edu

Dr. Kevin Casebolt Professor East Stroudsburg University kcasebolt@esu.edu

References

Agolla, J., & Ongori, H., (2009). An assessment of academic stress among undergraduate students: The case of University of Botswana Educational Research and Reviews. 4. 063-070. Retrieved from: https://academicjournals.org/journal/ERR/article-full-text-pdf/5F4E7833647

Arent, S , Landers, D , Matt, K , & Etnier, J (2005) Dose-response and mechanistic issues in the resistance training and affect relationship. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 27(1), 92-110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.27.1.92

Bany Saeed , N , Bani Melhem, M , & Al-Ababneh, H (2023) The Impact of Some Types of Physical Activity on the Level of Releasing Serotonin Hormone (A Comparative Study). Educational and Psychological Sciences Series, 2(1), 119–134. https://doi.org/10.59759/educational.v2i1.121

Bhargava, D., & Trivedi, H. (2018). A Study of Causes of Stress and Stress Management among Youth. IRA-International Journal of Management & Social Sciences (ISSN 2455-2267), 11(3), 108-117. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21013/jmss.v11.n3.p1

Broman-Fulks, J., & Storey, K. (2008). Evaluation of a brief aerobic exercise intervention for high anxiety sensitivity. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 21(2), 117–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800701762675

Buscombe, R , & Inskip, H (2013) Affective change as a function of exercise intensity in a group aerobics class. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 11(1), 42-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2013.04.001

Cassilhas, R., Viana, V., Grassmann, V., Santos, R., Santos, R., Tufik, S., & Mello, M. (2007) The impact of resistance exercise on the cognitive function of the elderly. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1401-1407. DOI: 10.1249/mss.0b013e318060111f

Dinas, P., Koutedakis, Y., & Flouris, A. (2011). Effects of exercise and physical activity on depression. Irish journal of medical science, 180, 319-325. https://doi org/10 1007/s11845-010-0633-9

Fairbrother, K. and Warn, J. (2003), "Workplace dimensions, stress and job satisfaction", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 8-21. https://doi org/10 1108/02683940310459565

Izard C. E. (2009). Emotion theory and research: highlights, unanswered questions, and emerging issues Annual review of psychology, 60, 1–25 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163539

Kampshoff, C., Chinapaw, M., Brug, J., Twisk, J., Schep, G., Nijziel, M., & Buffart, L. (2015). Randomized controlled trial of the effects of high intensity and low-tomoderate intensity exercise on physical fitness and fatigue in cancer survivors: results of the Resistance and Endurance exercise After ChemoTherapy (REACT) study. BMC medicine, 13, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0513-2

Meyer, J D , Koltyn, K F, Stegner, A J , Kim, J S , & Cook, D B (2016) Influence of exercise intensity for improving depressed mood in depression: a doseresponse study. Behavior therapy, 47(4), 527-537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2016.04.003

Movlonova, S (2023) THE ROLE OF HORMONES OF HAPPINESS AND JOY IN HUMAN LIFE. Журналестественныхнаук, 1(1 (10)).

National Institute of Health (2022). Emotional Wellness Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.nih.gov/health-information/emotional-wellness-toolkit. Accessed May 29, 2024.

Oddie, S., Fredeen, D., Williamson, B., DeClerck, D., Doe, S., & Moslenko, K. (2014). Can physical activity improve depression, coping & motivation to exercise in children and youth experiencing challenges to mental wellness? Psychology, 5(19), 2147. DOI:10.4236/psych.2014.519217

Pahlavani, H. A. (2023). Possible role of exercise therapy on depression: Effector neurotransmitters as key players. Behavioural brain research, 114791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114791

Sidman, C. L., D'Abundo, M. L., & Hritz, N. (2009). Exercise self-efficacy and perceived wellness among college students in a basic studies course. International Electronic Journal of Health Education, 12, 162-174. https://files eric ed gov/fulltext/EJ868237pdf

Wipfli, B., Landers, D., Nagoshi, C., & Ringenbach, S. (2011). An examination of serotonin and psychological variables in the relationship between exercise and mental health. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 21(3), 474481 https://doi org/10 1111/j 1600-0838 200901049 x

ARE YOU A COACH? CHECK OUT SURGE!

STRENGTH, UNITY, RESILIENCE, GROWTH, EQUITY POWERING GIRLS FORWARD

BETTY ANN FISH

Are you a coach of female athletes? Are you looking for free resources? Are you seeking ways to turn individual players into a TEAM? Look no farther. Surge is powering girls forward.

Strength, unity, resilience, growth and equity is a program from Varsity Brands and BSN sports. The mission is “By playing and participating in sports, girls develop a stronger physical and mental resilience for life. The SURGE program equips coaches and athletes with the tools, support and resources needed to Power Girls Forward and fortify them through life’s current and future adversities and challenges – whether they’re competing on the field, in the classroom, at work or with themselves.”

Why is powering girls forward so important? You are already familiar with the statistics. Hear what Terry Babilla, BSN SPORTS President, has to say "It's proven that by participating in sports, girls are more likely to experience better mental and physical well-being, as well as academic and life success. However, by the age of 14, we're seeing girls starting to drop out of sports at two times the rate of boys [1]. Through the SURGE program, we are committed to powering girls forward by investing in female athletes and their futures and providing their coaches with the online curriculum, programs and developmental resources they need to help keep girls engaged in sports."

INSIGHTS FROM BSN SPORTS

Girls and women who play sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem and lower levels of depression [2]

58% of U.S. adults think that participating in organized sports makes children less lonely [3]

As little as four hours of exercise a week may reduce a teenage girl's risk of breast cancer by up to 60% [4]

Graduation rates are 8% higher in female athletes [5]

Female athletes are 24x less likely to drop out of school than non-athletes [6]

Female high school athletes are 14% more likely to believe they are smart enough for their dream career [7]

94% of C-suite women played youth sports, with 52% going on to play at the university level [8]

SURGE is not just one program, it is more of a community, led by Allison Schmitt (Chief Empowerment Officer) partnering with WeCOACH (Women Coaches, All Sports, All Levels), Women Leaders in Sports and Nancy Lieberman Charities. This is an evidence-based curriculum with the resources (content and webinars) on the website (bsnsports.com/surge) continually being updated and changing. Do not just visit once, keep checking back for updated resources

SURGE is a series of 3 four-week programs and a collection of activities designed to build positive team culture, strong chemistry, and a cohesive and supportive team environment. There are daily activities, group discussion questions, vocabulary words and concept posters to reinforce what is being discussed. Within the full packet for each week is a coach’s clipboard that can be printed for easy access, the printable vocabulary and posters, and an athletes journal. The beauty of this curriculum is that each coach can use what parts of the program will work with their team. Nothing is time sensitive so depending on where you are in the season you can tailor the curriculum to your specific situation. The resources are meant to be tools to assist coaches with meaningful conversation and create a positive team culture.

Interested in learning more check out the website (bsnsports.com/surge) and sign up for free. Or listen to Aaron Hart (Executive Director of OPEN and the Vice President of Curriculum and Program Engagement for Varsity Brands) on the podcast The Coaches Call as he chats all about SURGE.

Information About the Author

Betty Ann Fish

Retired Educator 38 years

OPEN National Trainer

Past President SHAPE PA

SHAPE America National Elementary Physical Education Teacherof the Year

References:

American Academyof Pediatrics. (2023, October 20). Social Media Contributing to Poor Body Image Among Teenaged Athletes, Associated with Dropping High School Sports [Press release]. https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/conference-news-releases/social-med iacontributing-to-poor-body-image-among-teenaged-athletes-associated-with-dropping- high-schoolsports/#:~:text=Participation%20in%20sports%20helps%20children,greater %20than%20that%20of%20boys

Women's Sports Foundation. (2016, August 30). Benefits – Why Sports Participation for Girls and Women.

https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/advocacy/benefits-sports-participation-girls-wo men/

Business Insiderand YouGov. (2023,November 16). A youthsports overhaul couldhelp America's kids be less lonely.

https://www.businessinsider.com/loneliness-decline-in-kids-sports-new-model-cheaper-e asier-2023-8

Women's SportsFoundation. (2016, August30). Benefits – Why Sports Participation for Girls and Women. https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/advocacy/benefits-sports-participation-girls-wo men/

Angela, L. Judy, F. 2012, March. Whitepaper Summary: Comparing the Academic Performance of High School Athletes and Non-Athletes in Kansas in 2008-2009. Journal of Sport Administration & Supervision. www.quod.lib.umich.edu

Angela, L Judy, F 2012, March Whitepaper Summary: Comparing the Academic Performance of High School Athletes and Non-Athletes in Kansas in 2008-2009 Journal of Sport Administration & Supervision www.quod.lib.umich.edu

Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX). (2016-2017). Girls & Sports, A Girls' Index™ Impact Report. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62f55ec3c3784d0f3ec88011/t/6509854b288c4a08 ab22cc6f/1695122767118/Girls+%26+Sports%2C+a+Girls%27+Index+Impact+Report b y+Ruling+Our+eXperiences+%28ROX%29.pdf

EY and espnW. (2020, March 6). Why female athletesmake winning entrepreneurs. https://assets.ey.com/content/dam/ey-sites/ey-com/en gl/topics/entrepreneurship/ey-why -female-athletes-make-winning-entrepreneurs.pdf

EMPOWERING PHYSICAL EDUCATION: PENNSYLVANIA’S

INITIATIVE TO REIGNITE SCHOOL WELLNESS THROUGH CSPAP AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Drs. Hannah Holl and Randy Nichols

In June 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) was awarded a five-year, $1.95 million cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement healthy schools programming. Using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) framework, DOH and partners offer training and technical assistance on a variety of nutrition and physical activity focused topics. One such topic is the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP).

CSPAP aims to create a comprehensive approach to physical activity in schools, encompassing physical education, physical activity before, during, and after school, staff involvement, and family and community engagement. Quality physical education is the foundation of a CSPAP. But sadly, this is not happening consistently in Pennsylvania. In April 2022, SHAPE PA and DOH surveyed physical education professionals across the state and found that 72% of physical education teachers do not receive professional development specific to physical education even once per year. Anecdotally, physical education teachers across the state share that all too often, they are sent to Special Areas subjects during in-service days and do not receive training on content that is relevant to physical education or health education.

So how do we remedy this situation? In partnership with Slippery Rock University’s School Wellness Education Department, DOH is offering statewide professional development and technical assistance related to CSPAP through the CSPAP statewide Community of Practice (CoP) trainings, the CSPAP D2L module and personalized professional development for Erie’s Public Schools!

Dr. Hannah Holl, Professor at Slippery Rock University, described the CoP and said:

“A highlight has been my ability to help schools create a PE curriculum that is centered around the students and their wellbeing, and use the WSCC and CSPAP frameworks to enhance physical activity and wellness offerings throughout the whole school. Together, we have the opportunity to make schools a location where students learn sustainable physical activity patterns and self-care strategies that can improve their overall wellbeing. Providing students with these physical activity and wellness skills will better prepare them to be college, career, and life ready and may also help our students simply feel healthier and happier.”

In Erie’s Public Schools, where health and physical education teachers have been participating in professional development led by Slippery Rock University during district in-service days, several staff had feedback about the unique opportunity.

Christine Sitek, a teacher in the district for 22 years, explained:

“The Whole Child, Whole School, Whole Community Grant has brought back our cohesiveness within the Health and Physical Education Department. We are once again meeting as a department to discuss how to get back to where we once were. The professional development is specifically designed to meet the current and future needs of our department. We have been able to address the needs of new teachers and provide them with knowledge of our curriculum and training in specific lessons. I look forward to the future professional development to take the next step and learn how to advocate for ourselves within our district and community.”

Megan Mitchell highlighted the value of being able to come together as a department and focus on content specific to the field.

“Regular group meetings, supported by funding, have been particularly valuable for fostering a sense of community. The chance to engage in ongoing discussions with like-minded professionals has helped me refine my own ideas and stay motivated.

The consistency of these meetings has also provided a supportive space to share challenges and successes, making it easier to learn from others' experiences. Overall, the impact of grant funding goes beyond financial support—it’s a catalyst for continuous learning, relationship-building, and growth in my field.”

If you are interested in learning more about how you can tap into the resources mentioned in the article, recordings of the CoP trainings and the CSPAP module are available, on-demand through Slippery Rock’s D2L platform. See the flyer on page 54 for more information!

Information About the Authors

Dr. Hannah Holl

Associate Professor

Slippery Rock University hannah.holl@sru.edu

Dr. Randy Nichols Professor

Slippery Rock University randall.nichols@sru.edu

SOCIAL MEDIA'S INFLUENCE ON

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Gary Zaharatos

It is undeniable that social media has revolutionized the way that many physical education teachers interact with their profession. It has reshaped the landscape of lesson planning and resource sharing, while creating opportunities for connection and innovation that were unimaginable to the previous generation of teachers. These forums have broken down the walls of individual gymnasiums and classrooms, providing teachers with seemingly endless access to ideas and strategies shared by colleagues worldwide. Yet, this evolution in how educators access resources also introduces its own set of complexities and challenges. While social media offers tremendous potential, it also raises questions about the quality of the content being shared — questions this article seeks to explore and address:

Does social media help or hinder the spread of best practices in physical education?

How can teachers critically evaluate PE content on social media to ensure it aligns with effective teaching practices?

Do popular PE influencers prioritize modeling highquality instruction, or do they focus more on entertainment and engagement?

How do social media trends impact the perception and credibility of physical education?

For physical education teachers, who work in a discipline that is often misunderstood, undervalued, and among the first to face cuts when programs are reduced, the stakes are high. The ways in which educators navigate and utilize social media can significantly impact their teaching practices, as well as the broader perception of PE as a respected content area. Used thoughtfully, social media has the power to elevate the profession and promote effective teaching strategies. As the PE community continues to embrace this evolution, it is crucial for teachers and influencers to leverage this resource intentionally to provide meaningful learning experiences for students.

Trending at the Expense

of Teaching

Social media platforms have become powerful tools for sharing ideas and connecting educators, but they also present a challenge: the drive for popularity often competes with the goal of advancing best practices. Influencers with large followings captivate audiences with entertaining content, creating and sharing exciting games and activities, or humorous moments in the gym. While their creativity and ability to engage large numbers of teachers are commendable, the amount of attention dedicated solely to entertainment often overshadows a commitment to modeling high-quality instruction, such as holding students accountable to high expectations for their behavior, explicit alignment of activities with standards, clear communication of daily objectives, and strategies for assessing student progress toward them.

Teachers seeking fresh ideas to keep their students engaged often feel drawn to this content, viewing it as a lifeline for inspiration. However, the media that earns the most likes, views, and shares is not always that which promotes best practices and student achievement. For example, a teacher who simply demonstrates the rules of a new and exciting activity or performs a TikTok dance may be providing new content for teachers to share with their students, but it often lacks the depth needed for teachers to understand how to incorporate meaningful, standards-based learning experiences. As a result, this surface-level engagement can lead to some students leaving class entertained but unable to articulate how the lesson connected to broader learning goals.

This emphasis on entertainment over impactful teaching strategies also has significant implications for novice teachers. Without a solid foundation in effective pedagogy, new educators may struggle to distinguish between engaging activities and those that also meet instructional objectives. Additionally, few influencers consistently model classroom management strategies or demonstrate how to create a structured learning environment, leaving novice teachers ill-equipped to establish a safe and welcoming space where all students can fully engage in learning without disruption.

Equally troubling is the missed opportunity for professional growth. Teachers who rely on flashy content may unintentionally neglect strategies that could profoundly improve their teaching and enhance students’ learning and development, such as differentiated instruction, goal setting, or integrating standards-based social skills into lessons. Social media influencers, whether intentionally or not, often set the tone for what is celebrated in physical education. Without modeling selfreflection, they risk promoting a culture where surface-level engagement overshadows meaningful instructional growth, ultimately shaping a profession that values novelty over substance.

This, in turn, perpetuates harmful stereotypes about physical education by amplifying the visibility of entertaining, yet shallow content. Classroom teachers, school leaders, parents, and the general public may perceive physical education as merely “playing games,” failing to recognize its potential to deliver a learning experience that includes physical skill development alongside critical thinking and other rigorous cognitive skills. This reinforces the misconception that physical education is less academically significant than other subjects, diminishing the fact that it has clearly defined standards, measurable learning objectives, and evidence-based teaching practices designed to make a meaningful impact on students’ lives.

While social media has tremendous potential to inspire and connect educators, it is essential to approach it with a discerning eye. Both influencers and educators must critically evaluate how trends align with the overarching goals of physical education, ensuring that instructional methods not only engage students but also support learning, skill development, physical literacy, and long-term participation in physical activity, rather than just momentary entertainment. By prioritizing pedagogy over popularity, educators can harness social media as a tool for meaningful professional growth rather than a source of superficial trends.

Using Social Media Effectively

Social media provides a wealth of ideas for professional growth, but maximizing its value requires a thoughtful and intentional approach. By critically evaluating the content they encounter, intentionally following content creators who prioritize effective teaching practices, and aligning new activities with meaningful learning outcomes, teachers can turn social media into a powerful professional development tool.

Curating a well-rounded social media feed starts with identifying accounts that demonstrate strong pedagogical practices. Teachers should seek out content that explicitly connects to national or state PE standards, as these sources are more likely to align with effective teaching strategies. Following experienced educators, researchers, and organizations like SHAPE America can offer valuable pedagogical insights. Additionally, diversifying one's network by engaging with educators from different regions and backgrounds broadens perspectives and introduces fresh, inclusive approaches to physical education.

Not all social media content is created equal, and teachers must be thoughtful about what they engage with. Before implementing an idea found on social media, teachers should consider several critical questions:

Does the content align with state or national standards?

Are best practices, such as small-sided games, clearly communicated objectives, and effective questioning techniques, being modeled? Does the content promote meaningful learning, or is it purely for entertainment?

By consistently evaluating content through this lens, teachers can ensure that the ideas they use prioritize substance over spectacle, allowing them to bring content into their classrooms that has real instructional value and enhances student learning.

Teachers who become more confident in evaluating and applying content should be encouraged to take an active role in shaping the online conversation by sharing their own experiences. Posting about instructional methods and strategies they are experimenting with, along with reflections on what worked and what didn’t, helps other physical educators learn and grow. By promoting effective teaching strategies and standards-based instruction, teachers can ensure that social media remains a tool for meaningful professional development rather than just a source of entertainment.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with following accounts that are purely for entertainment. Lighthearted content can be enjoyable and offer a mental break from the stresses of teaching. However, it’s important to balance it with highquality content that challenges and supports growth as an educator. The goal isn’t to eliminate entertainment, but to make sure it doesn’t diminish the importance of professional development

Educators and Organizations

Elevating Physical Education Through Social Media

There are, of course, social media influencers who contribute positively to both the teachers who follow them and the broader perception of physical education. These individuals, organizations, and communities do more than share activities and entertaining content they offer meaningful resources that enhance student learning by promoting effective instructional strategies and standardsbased lessons, while at the same time challenging misconceptions about physical education. By highlighting a few of these voices, we can recognize their valuable contributions and encourage educators to seek out content that aligns with best practices in physical education. A shining example of the positive influence that social media can have on physical education teachers is the Health and PE Collective, founded by Jordan Manley. This initiative demonstrates how teachers' knowledge and experience can be utilized in contributing to a supportive and collaborative professional learning community for all teachers.

The HPE Collective is a hub for physical education and health teachers, offering a wide range of teacher-created resources, professional development opportunities, and advocacy tools. Through its app (which is linked on its various social media accounts) the collective provides easily accessible content that educators can use to enhance their teaching practices. Whether it’s blog posts sharing innovative teaching strategies, webinars led by experienced professionals, or discussions where veteran educators from around the world share their expertise, the HPE Collective equips teachers with the tools and confidence to meet the diverse needs of their students.

Beyond that, the HPE Collective encourages a sense of community among health and physical education teachers. In a profession where PE teachers often work in isolation, the collective creates opportunities for meaningful connections. Teachers can engage in discussions, share successes, seek advice, and collaborate on solutions to common problems of practice. This culture of collaboration and support elevates the profession as a whole, pushes back against outdated stereotypes of physical education, and inspires educators to prioritize meaningful, standards-based physical education.

Another example of the powerful role that social media and online platforms can play in shaping the professional growth of physical education teachers is Joey Feith’s work through ThePhysicalEducator.com and PhysEdU. His website serves as a professional development hub, offering high-quality resources to hundreds of thousands of physical educators from around the world.

Through PhysEdU, Feith has created a space where teachers can access engaging, research-backed professional development courses, informative blog posts, and activities that are aligned to grade-level appropriate standards, along with a wealth of other instructional resources. These offerings inspire teachers to adopt innovative, studentcentered approaches to physical education. Whether it’s developing a deeper understanding of standardsbased instruction, implementing meaningful assessment practices, or designing inclusive learning environments, PhysEdU equips teachers with the knowledge and confidence to experience success.

One additional significant positive influence in the physical education field is PE Scholar, an organization led by Dr. Liz Durden-Myers that exemplifies the power of social media to transform teaching and learning in physical education. Through their engaging online presence and resource-rich website, PE Scholar shares high-quality resources while offering expert-led courses that bridge the gap between theory and practice. With a longstanding commitment to professional development and innovation, PE Scholar has been a trusted source for physical education teachers seeking to grow and refine their craft for over a decade.

Their platform offers hundreds of meticulously crafted teaching resources, helping educators save time while designing high-quality, standards-based lessons that engage and inspire students. These resources span a wide range of topics, including lesson plans, assessments, student progress trackers, and comprehensive project guides all designed to enhance student learning and achievement. On top of that, PE Scholar supports a sense of community among health and physical education teachers through its PE Insights Podcast. Hosted by Nathan Walker, the podcast features conversations about best practices in physical education, providing listeners with opportunities to gain diverse perspectives from experts in the field.

These examples illustrate the transformative impact that social media and online platforms can have on the professional growth of physical education teachers. By offering highquality resources, creating spaces for collaboration, and promoting evidencebased teaching practices, initiatives like the HPE Collective, PhysEdU, and PE Scholar are leading teachers into the future of physical education. They serve as reminders that when educators engage with the right content and communities, social media can be a powerful tool for learning, connection, and advocacy. As physical education teachers continue to navigate the everevolving landscape of social media resources, seeking out and contributing to these positive spaces not only strengthens their teaching but also helps elevate the reputation of physical education among classroom teachers, school leaders, parents, and the public.

The Responsibility of Influence

While some influencers inadvertently hold back the advancement of the profession by focusing on activities without deeper instructional value, others actively undermine its credibility. Content that portrays physical education as little more than random games, an unstructured free period, or a platform for self-promotion at the expense of effective instruction feeds into the worst stereotypes about the physical education community.

When influencers prioritize style over substance whether by showcasing their physical education wardrobe, recording and sharing casual or inappropriate interactions with students, or openly neglecting lesson planning in favor of outside coaching commitments — they diminish the profession’s credibility and misrepresent its true purpose and potential.

These portrayals don’t just fail to advance the profession; they actively harm it. They reinforce outdated perceptions that physical education lacks rigor, purpose, or educational merit, making it harder for teachers to advocate for resources, respect, and professional development. Years of advocacy, research, and dedicated work have established PE as a legitimate instructional subject, but when administrators, parents, and policymakers primarily see online content that prioritizes entertainment over education, the profession suffers. This trend raises a critical question: How can influencers balance their role as content creators with their responsibility as educators and ambassadors of physical education? Those who are committed to strengthening the profession and not just growing their personal brand will find ways to pair creativity with high-quality instructional practices, proving that engaging content and educational integrity can coexist.

The reach of physical education influencers is undeniable. Some have built audiences of tens or even hundreds of thousands, a level of influence that presents both an opportunity and a responsibility. With such a platform, the challenge is not just to entertain, but also to elevate. Balancing activity-based content with meaningful examples of effective teaching strategies ensures that their impact extends beyond viral trends and leads to tangible improvements in physical education.

Influencers who use their platform to highlight high-quality instruction, encourage reflection, and promote purposeful, standards-based instruction can reshape the conversation around PE. By shifting the focus from spectacle to substance, they have the power to lead a movement that prioritizes quality teaching over superficial appeal. Their platforms can amplify evidence-based strategies, advocate for professional growth, and positively impact the practices of educators and the experiences of students for years to come.

Making Your Influence Count

Social media has given physical education a larger platform than ever before, allowing teachers to connect, share ideas, and influence the direction of the profession. While this visibility has brought excitement and innovation to the field, it has also created a tension between entertainment and effective teaching. The most widely shared content often prioritizes engagement over educational value, leading to a perception of physical education that focuses more on fun activities than on skill development and learning. However, influencers have the power to shift this narrative. By integrating best practices into the content they share, they can help ensure that physical education is seen as an essential, standards-based subject that supports students’ long-term physical literacy while contributing to their overall development.

Balancing activity-based content with meaningful examples of effective teaching strategies ensures that their impact extends beyond viral trends and leads to tangible improvements in physical education.

Incorporate Standards and Learning Objectives

Often, the focus on entertaining content overshadows the educational purpose behind the activities being shared. Influencers should highlight what students are learning and how each activity aligns with state or national standards. Instead of simply explaining the rules of a game, they should clarify its instructional value and model how to communicate clear learning objectives that are directly aligned with it. Providing this context makes content more meaningful for both teachers and students.

Modeling a Growth Mindset

Influencers have a unique opportunity to model reflective teaching practices. When they highlight their own learning process whether by sharing successes or setbacks, how they refined a previously shared activity, integrating new instructional strategies, or how they seek input from colleagues — they show that great teaching is an ongoing journey. This not only strengthens their credibility but also reinforces the idea that thoughtful reflection leads to more effective instruction. By being transparent about the realities of teaching and modeling a reflective approach to their practice, influencers can encourage others to embrace a growth mindset and take meaningful risks in their own teaching.

Emphasizing Meaningful Assessments

Sharing strategies for formative and summative assessments that measure students’ progress toward proficiency in standards-based skills and their ability to articulate their learning, content creators could have a powerful impact on the perception of physical education as a rigorous, instructional discipline. This shift would also encourage educators to move away from grading based on arbitrary and subjective measures like participation, dressing out, and effort, and instead focus on assessing students' progress toward specific learning objectives.

Provide Tools for Teachers to Use

Influencers can go beyond demonstrating and describing activities by providing tools and resources for teachers. This could include lesson plans that incorporate standards-based objectives, questions to assess students' learning, and/or templates for teacher self-reflection. Offering these tangible resources helps bridge the gap between inspiration and implementation, making it easier for teachers to apply new ideas in their own gyms.

Influencers play a powerful role in shaping the future of physical education, and with that influence comes responsibility. By modeling effective instructional practices that elevate the profession, such as clearly communicating standards-based objectives and sharing questions that check for students’ progress toward those objectives, they enhance the reputation of PE to one of rigorous, meaningful learning. When influencers lead with intentionality and a commitment to best practices, they don’t just inspire teachers they also help redefine the profession for the future.

Reflective Questions

How can you balance using social media for entertainment and inspiration while ensuring that the activities and strategies you adopt align with best practices that support meaningful student learning?

In what ways can you utilize social media communities like the HPE Collective, PhysEdU, or PE Scholar to enhance your teaching practice and contribute to the broader PE profession?

How can physical education influencers use their platforms to balance engagement with high-quality instructional practices that uphold the integrity of and elevate the reputation of physical education?

Information about the author: Gary Zaharatos

Physical Education Instructional Coach gary@distinguishedpe.com

Get Involved with SHAPE PA

SHAPE PA has many ways to stay involved. Whether you are interested in serving at the local county level, joining a committee, applying for the Board of Directors, or serving as the president, we have a place for you!

Click Here to Get Involved and Apply Today!

PAST PRESIDENT FINAL MESSAGE

Andrew Silverman

So here I am, fresh off my presidential year, taking a step back and doing more watching and listening now. It’s kind of nice to step back and observe after you’ve had your turn. I watch as our current president (and my former college classmate) Chance Condran continues to do incredible things with our organization and truly is such a major asset to the profession. I watch as our President-Elect, my friend Linda Miller morphs into “Listening Linda” as she likes to refer to herself, and brings her decades of passion and experience to the forefront to prepare her for the task ahead. Linda is going to do an incredible job (already is) and it is a privilege to learn from her and watch as she builds towards her presidential year.

I watch as our new Board of Directors jump in feet first and are already taking on committee roles and showing exactly why they are some of the most dedicated leaders in our profession. I also watch this incredible energy we have with some new people jumping in on committees and people around the state engaging in everything SHAPE PA has to offer through our nationally recognized social media. I feel REALLY good about the state of things in SHAPE PA and feel like I made my mark, even if it was only a little one in our long and storied history.

This service-leadership position has been held by so many before me who I admire and respect and I still feel incredibly humbled that I even had this opportunity. After all, who the hell am I anyway!? Just some dude who cares a lot I suppose. I consider the role of SHAPE PA president as a position that holds prestige and responsibility. A position that requires dedication and leadership. I am sure there have been many before me who have probably been able to accomplish more, have been better leaders, been more effective communicators and probably been better at getting things done. I feel like I fell short of a few things I wanted to accomplish and I have accepted that it's ok to set really high goals and adjust them as you go to be more realistic. Understanding limits and how much you can handle is probably my biggest takeaway from the busiest year of my life. That being said, I have always believed it’s a privilege to be busy.

One of the main things I felt like back when I accepted the President-Elect role was that I was the right guy for the job at that time. I felt like the organization needed me and it was the right time at that point to build some traditions back, collaborate with passionate individuals and most importantly, identify and elevate some new leaders to replenish a group that I felt had lost its positive energy. When I accepted the position, I didn’t have 2 children under 4 years old, teaching 5 different grades and I wasn’t running the whole tennis program at my school. In my reality, that presented some challenges I did not fully grasp until I was living them. As my parents reading this probably fully understand, everything seemed easier to do before children. I will say, with what I had available to give, both physically, mentally and emotionally, I honestly gave everything I could and I hope our membership feels I have done justice to this leadership role.

In closing, I’d like to once again strongly defer credit and share in the success of my presidential year with my colleagues. Everyone brings something positive and valuable to the table on a good team and works together toward a common goal. I feel confident in what this leadership group has started and the direction we are going under the guidance of Dawn, Chance and Linda. We had a conference with over 450 attendees from all over the east coast, secured new partnerships and gave our membership exactly what they deserve when they spend their hard earned money, a quality professional learning opportunity. Thank you again to our membership and to my colleagues and I hope to continue helping OUR profession in any way I can. My role in this world is to help and if you need me, I am the easiest person to reach.

In gratitude,

Andrew Silverman SHAPE PA Past President

Linda Miller PRESIDENT ELECT WELCOME MESSAGE

Writing and editing lesson plans, preparing and organizing your classroom environment for all learners, and eating nutritious foods to train for an upcoming race are just a few of the behind-the-scenes actions that contribute to success. Whether the planning involves brainstorming, following a step-by-step process, or meticulously checking off a list of "todos," the “behind the scenes” tasks are critical to SHAPE PA.

More than 40 years ago, I joined other professionals in becoming a member of the Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (PSAHPERD), now known as the Society of Health and Physical Education (SHAPE PA). I attended conferences where I listened intently to best practices shared by Pennsylvania's most influential professionals, and I quickly grew passionate about the organization. The energy, the value of the conference sessions, and the networking with professionals, was inspiring. Eventually, I had the privilege of serving "behind the scenes." While my passion for SHAPE PA was already strong, each task I took on felt meaningful. Serving in these roles has been incredibly fulfilling, and the energy returned from volunteering with no pressure to perform, but a true desire to contribute was invaluable.

The entire SHAPE PA team would wholeheartedly welcome you. Whether you have time to share a talent, or you would like to volunteer as I did, “behind the scenes”, your service will benefit you and SHAPE PA. President Chance Condran is “Shaping a Better Future”, and his drive and determination have brought new life and energy to SHAPE PA.

“SHAPE PA is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to promoting and enhancing health and physical education across Pennsylvania.” Many volunteers are needed. The task list is long with countless opportunities to get involved, whether it's serving on a committee, organizing an event, recruiting colleagues for professional development, or even decorating tables for celebrations there's something for everyone. SHAPE PA needs you!

For more information or to ask questions, contact Linda Miller, SHAPE PA President Elect, at phytlin@comcast.net.

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP)

Community of Practice (CoP)

What:Professional development on a multi-component approach that schools can use to help students be physically active, aiming to meet the nationally recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day and develop lifelong physical activity habits.

1. CSPAP module – covers the basics of the five CSPAP components (7 Act 48 credits)

2.Recorded monthly CoP webinars – how to implement each of the CSPAP components (up to 9 Act 48 credits)

Who: School staff, including health and physical education teachers, classroom teachers, school nurses, administrators and others interested in learning how CSPAP can benefit students, the school and the community.

Where: Virtual modules in Slippery Rock’s D2L platform.

When and Why: On-demand and Earn FREE Act 48 Credit!

How: Use the QR Codes below to register for free D2L login information. It can take up to 3 business days to receive the login information.

CSPAP D2L CoP

RECORDED WEBINARS

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTENT COVERED IN THE RECORDED COP WEBINARS, USE THE QR CODE BELOW TO ACCESS A CALENDAR WITH A LIST OF MONTHLY TOPICS AND PRESENTERS:

This training is supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number NU58DP007322 funded by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health and the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The contents are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services