trevordayschool

Dragons Unite in the Physical Education & Athletics in the COVID-19 Era I n a conversation with Head of School Scott Reisinger in late winter 2020, with the pandemic bearing down on us, I asked that we not use the words "canceled" and "Athletics" in the same sentence. I felt that Athletics was going to be more important during this time than ever before and that our department would keep adjusting the goal posts to continuously serve our kids and the Trevor community safely. Mr. Reisinger agreed wholeheartedly, and we never once thought about canceling Athletics or physical education (PE). In fact, we even added programming. When tasked with producing a virtual PE program in a matter of days, the biggest challenge was planning for one that would keep students motivated. e department determined that the program had to be: 1. Easy to navigate for the students. 2. Engaging for the students. 3. Based on Trevor content and curriculum. 4. Professional. 5. Easy to update and adapt. 6. Simple to track and log. Canceling Athletics was never an option. e team came together across both campuses and we were able to produce an effective program in a short period of time: Dragon's Fitness Club was born. e changes to Athletics that administrators, coaches, and students confronted in March and April 2020 were even more daunting. Athletes and teams couldn't compete; nevertheless, Trevor focused on keeping the spring teams intact through team correspondence, virtual team meetings, and virtual workout sessions. It was certainly not the same experience the students knew or deserved, but the school felt it was important to offer peer camaraderie and coaching support through that unique time. Feeling confident in the support we were offering students through our remote PE program and the virtual sports team communities, we next looked at what collective needs might not yet have been met. We decided to focus on Trevor "supporters." With so much purposeful and necessary focus on the students, we worried that many teachers and parents might forget to take care of themselves. ese supporters could only help our students if they, too, were supported. We were happy to shine a light on the supporters and help fill that need through DragonsUnite. Clockwise from top: A virtual meeting of the PE and Athletics department; the Dragons Unite logo; a scene from the runner's video, encouraging students to stay active; a scene from the softball video demonstrating that "Since we've been home, we've found new ways to practice." 2 2 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 – 2 0 2 2

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