Making the World a Fitter Place

From May 4 to May 11, 2018, the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education celebrated the accomplishments of students in our health, exercise and sport sciences programs and held events to keep members of our campus and surrounding community healthy.

Students showcased their work at a research symposium on May 4. On May 10, the health education program teamed up with the Mollie Biggane Melanoma Foundation to host Adelphi’s First Melanoma Awareness and Screening Event to screen attendees, offer prevention strategies and raise awareness of this aggressive form of skin cancer.

On May 10, faculty and administrators joined proud seniors and their families for the 2018 Awards and Phi Epsilon Kappa Induction. Phi Epsilon Kappa is a national professional fraternity for persons engaged in pursuing careers in physical education, health, recreation, dance, human performance, exercise science, sports medicine and sport management.

At the awards ceremony, Associate Professor Emilia Zarco, M.D., M.Ed., welcomed guests, including Janet L. Ficke ’59, the former professor of physical education and coordinator of student teaching for whom the Janet L. Ficke Field and the Janet Ficke Award in Physical Education are named.

Dr. Zarco was followed by Anne Mungai, Ph.D., interim dean of the Ammon School, who told the graduating class, “Think in terms of leaving a legacy. If you impact one child, you’ve left a legacy.”

Guest speaker Lori Rose Benson, M.A. ’98, now executive director of Hip Hop Public Health, set the tone for leaving such a legacy and for staying connected to Adelphi. “It is an honor to be here to give back to my alma mater,” she said. “Strong Adelphi roots gave me the confidence to say yes” to challenges, she added, explaining that she is “growing new roots at Adelphi,” this time as an adjunct professor.

Benson credits being both nurtured and challenged by her professors for contributing to her success. At Adelphi, she and her fellow graduate students developed Cooperative Healthy Active Motivated Public Schools (CHAMPS) in 2004 as part of their coursework. The project laid the groundwork for a program Benson later implemented in public schools in New York City. “This program exists because of project-based work at Adelphi,” she said. “You’ve all done important work; some of this can lay the foundation for programs that will be implemented.”

Benson was presented with the Ruth Skinner Award for distinguishing herself in her field and bringing honor to Adelphi.

On May 11, students from the David Paterson School in Hempstead came to Adelphi’s Center for Recreation and Sports for the department’s Elementary Extravaganza. Adelphi physical education students, dressed as Iron Man, Superman and Wonder Woman, ran physical activities for the 110 students in attendance.

The children also got to dribble basketballs, play tag and race across the gym on scooters. The aim, according to Associate Professor Mara Manson, Ed.D., is to use fun and innovative activities to get children moving and improving their communication and cooperation skills.