Page 10 - BPS News Nov 2017

P.E. Coach Hanson is a school-engagement MVP
Atlan s Elementary physical educa on teacher Andy Hanson is building a sense of community, tackling tness with fresh ideas and strengthening students’ interpersonal skills.
“I love being able to use my pla orm as a physical educa on teacher to help inspire, mo vate and educate our future,” said Hanson, a P.E. coach at the Port St. John school for 15 years. “Atlan s is truly a hidden gem in Brevard County. Our community, administra on, faculty members and students are a family.”
One of his successful projects is “mathle cs,” which integrates standards-based math into ac vity sta ons
succeed. He also created a “P.E.moji” board for students to write their names under the par cular emoji that describes their current mood.
Hanson shines when
it comes to engaging
families and reaching out to the community. In 2015, Hanson, along with h grade teacher Ma Yount, created the Dedicated Atlan s Dudes (DAD) group to encourage involvement by fathers and all “dudes” who are part of a student’s life. They recently opened the group to “dude es” as well. There are nearly 100 registered DADs who par cipate in group events such as the quarterly “Donuts with Dad” mornings, campus workdays and an ugly sweater contest.
The group has fostered campus improvements as well. One member, who owns a paving company, provided $10,000 worth of labor and supplies to restore the school’s blacktop. Also, during the inaugural DAD golf tournament, par cipants helped raise more than $2,500 for school technology and P.E. equipment.
Furthermore, Hanson presents a “Coach’s Corner” segment on the school’s morning news show, led the annual Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser which collected more than $16,000, sponsors the student patrol group and more. He also organized MAGA: Make Atlan s Great Again, an ongoing campus improvement project. Most recently, he spearheaded a chili cook-o fundraiser for two former students who have a paralyzed father and whose mother passed away suddenly.
Assistant Principal Danielle Kraus a ributes Hanson’s success to his passion and commitment.
such as bowling,
juggling and speed stacks. He also uses a white board
to display higher-order- thinking ques ons,
upcoming events, vocabulary words and
more. Hanson even makes down me
educa onal. During water breaks, the students take turns
solving math problems and return-to-play
as they answer them correctly.
His well-rounded teaching prac ces build
self-con dence and social- emo onal skills. Hanson
plans ac vi es where all
students feel like they
are can
“Coach Hanson’s strength lies in developing instant rapport with people. He makes fun a priority in all that he does, because he knows kids learn be er when they are having fun,” Kraus said. “He has an unwavering commitment to our Port St. John community that goes beyond the hours of a standard teacher.”