Greetings parents and students! 

Coaches Corner-

Mr. Hand-This is my 9th year at American Academy, and I enjoy it more each year it seems. I have coached every sport we offer, and was the Athletic Director at CP one year, and MB the following year. I love seeing student-athletes accomplish something challenging, and this course is designed to hopefully spark their interest in either a sport or another type of healthy exercise. Physical literacy and finding something active that they really enjoy is paramount. I play a lot of golf and basketball in my spare time, and love all things active in the mountains. This year I am assuming the head coaching duties for Cross Country here at MB. I was the assistant coach last year so I already know most of the student-athletes, and am really looking forward to continuing to help their personal growth in this challenging sport....it is going to be so rewarding and so much fun! The MB middle school students are such a fantastic group, and I am really looking forward to all the fun we will be having in PE this fall!

Ms. Hanchett: As the mother of four active boys, I found some of my most rewarding experiences with them were when I coached their sports teams. I loved watching each team evolve from a random group of kids to one unified in purpose to growth. By practicing skills and good sportsmanship, they discovered confidence by gaining pride in themselves and our team. After coaching middle school basketball and volleyball at American Academy for three years, I was invited to join as a teacher. This was an absolute blessing, and I've enjoyed transferring my coaching skills to the classroom. I look forward to another year teaching and coaching this great group of students.

Again, welcome back everyone! As we kick start a new year, Coach Hanchett and Hand want to gently remind both parents and students of a few things. First, appropriate shoes for PE are a requirement. Students need to and are expected to have appropriate shoes for PE class every day this trimester. Second, while we are sensitive and sympathetic to any injury or physical limitation affecting participation in PE, American Academy PE policy requires written documentation by a doctor/nurse for any circumstance that persists past a 3 day grace period. Both of these policies strive to prevent injury, and ensure each student is set up to succeed and thrive in class each week.