Patapsco High Physical Education Department Wins National Recognition

Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts regularly receives recognition for its visual arts, theater and music programs. Last month, however, it was the school’s physical education department earning a prestigious national award.

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) named Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts one of only 56 schools in the country to ever receive acclaim as a NASPE “STARS” school, a project that honors physical education programs that model the essential elements for quality physical education and provide meaningful learning opportunities for all students.

The Patapsco High physical education department consists of five teachers, including one health education teacher. Students attend physical education class for one of two semesters, five days a week for 90 minutes each day.

Melanie Nolet, the department chair of Health and Physical Education at Patapsco, said the school’s fitness program is designed with more than just athletes in mind.

“First, I’d say we strive for inclusiveness,” Nolet said. “We try to create a program for all students, not just one that athletes would find comfortable.”

She said one of the department's major goals is to encourage all students—again, not just athletes—to pursue a healthy, active lifestyle. She added that classes in ballroom dancing and archery are offered, expanding the typical repertoire of traditional school sports like soccer, basketball and volleyball.

“We offer a variety of fitness-based content, not just for athletic kids,” Nolet said. There are classes in step aerobics, weight-training, circuit training and dumbbell workouts offered that are not competitive in nature, but serve as introduction to activities that students can use the rest of their lives to remain healthy and fit.

Getting physically fit builds confidence and teaches a lot of life lessons, Nolet said.

Sports like kickball and softball are also part of the curriculum, providing students who may not be athletically inclined to get familiar with sports that are often social activities among working young adults.

“The criteria for this award are based on the essential elements necessary for a quality physical education program,” said NASPE executive director Charlene Burgeson in a press release. “This includes content based on the national standards for physical education, educationally and developmentally appropriate instructional strategies and teaching skills, adequate facilities, and equipment that are safe and appropriate for the age and abilities of the students with classes taught by certified physical educators, among others.”

Nolet, who has been at Patapsco for 12 years, said the physical education department instructors, all of whom played sports at the collegiate level, continues to pursue their own fitness through a combination of fun activities and more serious training.

Scott Rudolph, who played football at the University of Maryland, Will Marshall, who played basketball at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College), and Nolet, a former Towson University basketball player, all play softball, among other fitness activities. Kevin Birnstill, a former Towson University hockey player, still plays ice hockey, and Lori Powers, a former Towson University field hockey player, is a marathon runner.

“We all take our fitness seriously, and our energy and excitement rubs off on the kids,” Nolet said.