My School Rocks! 2014-03 - Our 10th Anniversary Edition

Clockwise from left: Idlewild Elementary (Photo by LunahZon); skeleton racing at Huntingtowne Farms Elementary (Photo courtesy of Jill Chuttey); students stepping up at Whitewater Academy (Photo by LunahZon). GYM CLASS 2.0 CHARLOTTE PE TEACHERS INNOVATE TO KEEP CLASSES FIT A rmed with paper plates as ice skates, scooters as bobsleds and a little imagination, Jill Chuttey brought the Olympics to her physical education (PE) students this February. With the Olympic Games opening Feb. 7, Chuttey, Huntingtowne Farms Elementary School’s PE teacher, wrangled materials she had to bring Sochi to Charlotte. “We wanted to introduce students to winter sports and how we can pretend in the gym, even if we don’t have snow or ice,” Chuttey says. Chuttey’s elementary Olympic Games is just one of the exciting things playing out in gym classes around Charlotte. Claude Davis, PE teacher at Dilworth Elementary 14 – My School Rocks! | March 2014 School, likes to think of his classes as a bit of a mash-up, regularly combining popular sports into wacky – yet fun – new sports. For example, David and his students play soccer golf. Using the footwork from soccer, students try to land a soccer ball into a golf hole (a hula hoop) with as few strokes as possible. GYM OUTSIDE THE GYMNASIUM Like teachers of all subjects, PE teachers embrace technology. In fact, CMS Teacher of the Year finalist Doug Smith, PE teacher at McKee Road Elementary, may just be whipping his whole school into shape via high-definition. Smith starts his days by leading the elementary school in morning exercises, Jumpstart And Move at McKee (JAMM), on the school’s closed-circuit news program. “We know that movement and exercise is not only good for our physical fitness but has proven to help our brains be ready for instruction. Our teachers strive to give our students more movement throughout the day,” Smith says. As North Carolina struggles with its childhood obesity rate (about one in three children ages 10 to 17 in the state are obese) and with national attention centered around the issue, Smith and other PE teachers know how important gym class is. “My goal is to see them with sweaty and red faces when they leave PE,” Smith says. Kids Eat Free Monday – Thursday All Day One Kids Meal per One Adult Meal Book your next birthday party in One Of Our privAte dining rOOMs Dilworth Neighborhood Grille 911 East Morehead St., Suite #200 • Charlotte, NC 28204 704.377.3808 • www.neighborhoodgrille.com www.myschoolrocks.com | My School Rocks! 15

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