Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences undergraduate physical education students, seniors Christina Folias and Giavanna Dushaj, have been named SHAPE America Physical Education Majors of the Year.
SHAPE America—the Society of Health and Physical Educators—is a group of more than 200,000 health and physical education professionals across the United States. The SHAPE America Major of the Year award “celebrates outstanding undergraduate students in the fields of health, physical education, recreation and dance,” according to SHAPE America.
They received this national recognition at the SHAPE America Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, this March. The award recipients, along with fellow students, traveled to the conference as part of the PED 680 National Issues in Physical Education course co-taught by Assistant Professor Juntack Oh, PhD, and Professor Kevin Mercier, EdD.
Students must meet the award criteria and be nominated as outstanding students with the potential to be excellent physical educators. Both Dushaj and Folias were unanimously supported in their nomination by the Adelphi physical education faculty. Winners are selected, based upon their applications, by a SHAPE America committee.
“Adelphi University has a long-standing reputation for having a quality physical education teacher preparation program,” said Dr. Mercier. “For decades, PE students and faculty members have earned awards at the state, national and international levels, bringing pride and prestige to Adelphi. Christina and Gia are both high-quality people who are well deserving of this award. I was fortunate to have had the pleasure of teaching both of these amazing future physical educators. I am confident that they will be incredible teachers who will inspire their students toward a lifetime of physical activity.”
Both Dushaj and Folias are SHAPE America members who go above and beyond, providing services to the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences community while maintaining the required GPA for the organization of 3.0 or greater.
“Being named a SHAPE America Major of the Year is something that means a lot to me,” Dushaj said.” I feel so honored to receive this award and [to have] the PE department acknowledge my hard work during my time in the program.”
“It is truly an honor to have been named as a SHAPE America Physical Education Major of the Year,” Folias said. “I am thankful to have been recognized for all the hard work and dedication throughout my four years at Adelphi University.”
The Society of Health and Physical Educators was founded in 1885. The SHAPE America National Standards for K-12 Physical Education serve as the foundation for physical education programs nationwide.