Springside Chestnut Hill Academy’s Physical Education Department Chair Betty Ann Fish received the award for the Eastern District’s Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators) on Feb. 6 at a ceremony that took place at the 2015 Eastern District Conference in Springfield, Mass.

“Recognizing and honoring professional excellence is one of the most important responsibilities SHAPE America has to its members,” said SHAPE America President Dolly Lambdin, Ed.D., clinical professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “That is why we are thrilled to join our districts across the country in highlighting educators whose outstanding teaching performance motivates today’s youth to adopt healthy and physically active lifestyles.”

Since Fish started working at Springside School (now Springside Chestnut Hill Academy), she has instilled in her students the importance of being active at a young age. She has been successful at working with fellow teachers to incorporate the students’ curriculum and the things they are learning in the classroom into their work in the gym. She holds the students to high standards in her class and encourages them to be their best selves, both physically and academically.

Fish received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and her master’s degree from Saint Joseph’s University. She is an active member of Pennsylvania AHPERD (Association for Health Physical Education Recreation and Dance) and has served as the vice president for physical education. She has seamlessly incorporated technology into her teaching methods and was awarded the WeAreTeachers grant in 2010 for a project titled “I survived the heart adventure challenge course parent night” and was a grand prize winner of the 2011 NASPE and Polar Celebration Technology and Physical Activity National Video Contest: iPods and iPads Motivate Students in a Fitness Circuit.

Fish will travel to Seattle on March 17 for the week-long SHAPE America National Convention and Expo where the National Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year will be announced. She will be competing against Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award winners from the Central, Midwest, Northeast, and Southern districts.