A. C. Stelle's P.E. program is top-notch
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers LONG WAY DOWN- Left, Vanessa Flores, 13, and Nick Nobles, 13, of Calabasas explore the climbing wall at A.C. Stelle Middle School in Calabasas on Tuesday. The school offers unique physical education opportunities.

The stellar physical education program at Alice C. Stelle Middle School will be shared with P.E. teachers throughout California at the annual Wellness Conference in Anaheim on Oct. 1 and 2.

Derek Mena, chair of the physical education department at the school, and P.E. teachers Jean Flemion, Katie Flanagan, and Jennifer Mettler will present, "High Quality Middle School Physical Education: Creating a Vision and Making it Happen" to conference participants.

The school's P.E. program is the "best in the west," according to Derek Mena, this year's Physical Education Department Chair.

The department earned the reputation as "best" for many reasons, first and foremost the staff's dedication and passion for student learning and achievement, Mena said.

All four teachers are certified to train students in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compression used in medical emergencies, Mena said.

The program paid off two years ago when seventh-grade student Courtney Chamberlain pulled a baby from a friend's pool and saved the child's life after performing CPR. She had just mastered the procedure during her P.E. class in the spring, Mena said.

All students learn the method during their regular P.E. class, but to earn CPR certification, students must sign up for an additional course. Chamberlain was among the 30 students to complete the first certification session. Chamberlain's mastery of the life-saving technique and quickthinking during an emergency inspired other students to take the course. Mena said more than 100 students signed up to be certified last year, and he expects the course to be equally popular this year.

A.C. Stelle's rock wall is unique to public schools in California. Mena said the new rock wall features the Ravan technology system, which allows a teacher to supervise 33 climbers at once.

Then there's the popular rolling blading unit, which meets state standards, yet allows students to have a whole lot of fun. Students meet standards by learning about biochemical principles applied to human movement, scientific principles in regard to "exercise physiology," muscular fitness, endurance, balance, power and strength.

The school's Aquatics/Beach Safety Program with Los Angeles Life Guards is another creative way teachers instill in kids a lifelong commitment to health through exercise and knowledge.

The county-funded program teaches all sixth graders about ocean safety, aquatics, surfing, kayaking, and emergency issues, including first aid and CPR. The course even touches on weather conditions and gives students a chance to learn life guard tower awareness procedures.

Other programs appear tailor made for energetic middle school children. Sixth-grade students can participate in the school's circus club, and learn juggling and tumbling. Then there's line and folk dancing, Frisbee and Ultimate Frisbee, golf, hockey, horseshoes, and "bouldering," a sport conducted on the lower half of the rock wall.

In seventh grade, students can sign up for multicultural dancing, fencing, self defense, table tennis, track and field, and CPR.

Takraw, a popular Southeast Asian game that is a cross between soccer and volleyball, is introduced in eighth grade. Then there's cricket, speedball, square dance and even a unit that allows students to create their own game.

On the traditional side, eighth graders can play basketball or football and participate in track and field.

"This ain't your parents' physical education," Mena said.

In addition to the wide variety of unusual sports offered at the school, Mena said students use core balance balls, medicine balls, stretch bands, speed and agility ladders and aerobic steppers twice a week.

The P.E. teachers also keep parents in the loop of physical fitness, and host a Family Sports Night, Healthy Heart night and other special events, Mena said.

"The Alice C. Stelle physical education department has created an outstanding program for all students to be successful in a challenging, nonthreatening, standardsbased program, Sistrunk said. "The design and intent of the session is to assist professionals in setting the course in transforming their middle school physical education programs."

The innovative programs are only half of the reason why A.C. Stelle was chosen to present at the Wellness Conference. The P.E. teachers are all considered top flight. Superintendent Donald Zimring noted that Jean Flemion, a 30-year veteran of the school district who will retire after this year, was named "United States Teacher of the Year."

Terilyn Finders, president of the Las Virgenes Unified School District's Board of Education, sees the P.E. program at Stelle as an anecdote to the sharp rise in childhood obesity and early onset Type II Diabetes.

"It is estimated, 30 percent of children who were born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes sometime during their lifetime," said LVUSD Board of Education President Terilyn Finders. "Diabetes is a lifetime condition that is expensive for our nation, and as we look to the future it is incumbent on us to control and contain medical costs so we can have more money for education. P.E. is preventive medicine- no doubt about it."

The conference is sponsored by the California School Boards Association, the California Department of Education and the California Department of Public Health.