Iowa Association For Health, Physical Education, Recreation And Dance (IAHPERD)
State of Iowa
Legislature Alert
Middle School Teacher of the Year- 2005
Mary Stuart O'Connor
Mary possesses characteristics that identify her as a quality educator. Her caring demeanor, excellent communication skills, and commitment to student achievement are evident every day in her classroom and as she collaborates with staff to improve student learning.
Mary has consistently been on the leading edge in physical education trends.
She has an enthusiasm for personal health and fitness that is exhibited in her interactions with students, peers, and other educators. Mary meets all students where they are and encourages them to meet their personal health and fitness goals. She uses a variety of measures to determine the beginning and ending levels for each child. The past year she developed a new wellness class with the Family/Consumer Science teachers at Callanan. Students were actively engaged, making better personal health decisions because of the class.
Her enthusiasm has spilled over into becoming an advocate for the field of Physical education. She takes personal time to attend school board meetings and keep board members apprised of progress being made in physical education.
Mary has maintained membership in various professional organizations, attended conferences, made presentations, and sits on many committees….from PE advisory committee to the School Improvement team. She is a teacher who seeks to constantly and continuously improves herself….but also so willing to help other professionals. She asked for and received permission to use her personal and team planning times once a week to go to the other middle schools in the district and work with the PE teachers on the Polar Heart rate monitors and Trifit assessment systems.
Here is a woman that has given so much to her students, staff and other professionals.
It is my privilege to introduce to you….the 2006 Middle School Teacher of the Year….Mary Stuart O’Connor