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Educators replies
I am very
happy to say that the archery program is a wonderful
addition to our physical education curriculum at Huntington
Area Middle School. All of our students have participated in
the program for two years and we have all levels of students
participating. We have mentally challenged students and
students in wheel chairs participating with one of the wheel
chair students becoming class champion. Even students that
do not normally enjoy physical education class look forward
to our archery unit. We have ordered more equipment for next
year due to the excitement and participation in the program.
Thank you for keeping us up to date on
material. Vickie L. Schneider, Health and
Physical Education Teacher, Huntington Area Middle School,
Huntington, Pennsylvania, 16652
Twin Valley
Middle School and the PA NASP
The PA NASP
was a new addition to our Physical Education Curriculum this
year. Parents, students and teaching staff were extremely
excited to hear of this new activity that was accompanied by
state of the art archery equipment. Every student in our
Middle School (grades 6 - 8) experienced a 3 - week archery
unit. Listed below are some of the benefits our students
achieved while participating in the NASP: Students
experienced and became comfortable utilizing archery
equipment (some for the very first time). Physical
Education teachers witnessed student improvement in
accuracy, concentration and focus. Physical Education class
participation increases during this unit of study. Student
self-confidence blossomed. Students who we may consider to
be "non-athletic" really took to this activity and were
quite successful. We were able to easily incorporate
cross-curricular instruction/assessment in the archery unit.
(Math/La). Through this unit we were able to meet multiple
State Physical Education Standards. Archery is a
lifetime/outdoor activity and we are very proud to say that
many of our students inquired and purchased their own
archery equipment to use at home. A highlight to our NASP at
Twin Valley was the opportunity to take some of our students
to the 1st PA NASP Tournament. Parents, students and
teachers were thrilled to see our school successfully
compete. All who were involved cannot wait until next years
tournament event. If the NASP program were to no longer
exist, our parents, student body and staff would be
extremely disappointed. The Twin Valley Middle School
students purely enjoyed their archery experience and do not
want it to come to an end.
Sincerely -
The Twin Valley Middle School Health & Physical Education
Department
| To whom it
may Concern:
I am an
elementary school teacher with thirty years
experience. During these years, I have been a
high school coach of girl's tennis and an
instructor of numerous intramural activities at
the elementary level. This year, while on
sabbatical leave, I have had the opportunity to
receive Level 1 and Level 2 training in the
National Archery in the Schools Program in
Pennsylvania. I recently attended the first
Pennsylvania NASP tournament in Harrisburg as a
Volunteer judge. While I have not yet
experienced the actual teaching of the program
in my school, I was impressed at the results I
witnessed during this tournament. I am a
firm proponent of emphasizing the positive in
order to elicit change and encourage students to
think positively. In the classroom it is
necessary. The NASP uses this positive
reinforcement in its instruction. That was
evident during the tournament, not only from the
coaches in attendance, but among the students as
well. They encouraged each other and were
respectful of individual differences. What a
wonderful tool with which to equip our students
in any arena. Most high schools offer a variety
of sports in which students are able to
participate. However, many of them are sports
that will be played during their Middle and high
School years, rarely to be played after
graduation. Archery offers a life-long activity.
In addition, many of the sports offered are not
accessible to students with certain physical
handicaps. The NASP allows for adaptations so it
can be available to more of the students. As an
elementary teacher, I tend to focus on how I can
integrate a variety of skills into a single
lesson. While at the tournament I was able to
observe not only eye-hand coordination and
strength skills, but other skill building
opportunities. The students had to use math
skills to add up their scores. They had to
cooperate when scoring their arrows with one
scoring and one recording. They were also
problem solving as they negotiated how to score
an arrow that was near a line. They focused not
only on their own individual results, but the
results of their team. It is becoming
increasingly challenging for teachers to find a
"hook" for all students. We are constantly
looking for ways to connect with reluctant
learners to get them to engage in education. I
can envision this program being that "hook" for
students that may not be the best athletes or
the most gifted students. I would hope that this
program can continue to grow in Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
Vicki Mundy
To Whom It May
Concern:
As a Physical
Educator, I want all of my students to have or
experience success while in my class, With the
implementation of the Archery into our
curriculum, I noticed several different students
experiencing success with this activity versus
other activities we use in Physical Education
class. Many students are eager to learn more
about archery as a competitive sport. Archery
can be a life-long activity which is important
considering the inactivity we see among many
teens which can lead to life-long health
problems. This program has been beneficial for
many people and should continue to be
implemented throughout schools so that more
opportunities to lead an active lifestyle are
available for our youth.
Sincerely, Carolyn Kopnisky,
Hermitage School District, Hickory High School
Health and Physical Education Teacher |
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