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Anasazi PE teacher wins more awards BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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fter winning the Arizona Heath and Physical Education Innovative Teacher of the Year award in 2019, Anasazi Elementary physical education teacher Kyle Bragg has not one, but two more awards to add to his ever-increasing collection of achievements this year. He earned the Shape America Western District Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year, and Shape America National Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year. “It means a lot,” Bragg said. “It’s a great time for advocating for getting the word out about the importance of developing the whole child.” The awards recognize outstanding teaching performance and the ability to motivate today’s youth to participate in a
Kyle Bragg, a PE teacher at Anasazi Elementary School, is the 2021 SHAPE America National Elementary PE Teacher of the Year. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)
lifetime of physical activity, Shape America’s press release states. Celebrating his 10th year of teaching – his fifth at Anasazi – Bragg is a national board-certified teacher who integrates both technology and social emotional learning (SEL) into his PE program to create developmentally appropriate lessons. “We’re doing a lot more than just the physical skills,” Bragg said. “We’re learning social-emotional learning, problem solving and things that can be transferred in other settings. So, I’m really proud of our kids.” Named among six other educators across the country as 2021 Teachers of the Year in Physical Education, Adapted PE, Health and Dance, Bragg said what sets him apart as an educator is his ability to teach and develop the “whole child.” “We’re constantly integrating content standards, like math and reading,” Bragg
said. He prides himself in ensuring the kids feel not just physically safe but also emotionally safe in and out of the classroom. “So, when they come in, regardless of how talented or skilled they are at sports or activities like that, they’re going to feel comfortable and loved – and they’re going to do their very best,” he said. This is social-emotional learning. It “enhances the students’ ability to succeed in school – and beyond – by teaching them how to self-regulate their emotions, problem solve, make responsible decisions, maintain positive friendships, and more,” Bragg explained. For example, instead of praising a student for hitting a baseball far into the outfield, Bragg will praise the student for their eye contact or their ability to stay positive.
see BRAGG page 22
Coronado High students emulate Rotarians PROGRESSS NEWS STAFF
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oronado High School Interact Club students may have set the record this year for the largest number of successful community service projects in the shortest period of time. At the start of the second semester in January, the Interact Club had no members and had not been active for four years. Interact is the high school aged club sponsored by Rotary. Despite pandemic restrictions, Coronado students led by ESL teacher Ian Stephan re-activated the Interact Club in February. “This in itself is a commendable achievement,” said Max Rumbaugh, past Scottsdale Rotary president. “Students and teachers have been over-
Showing off some of the shoes collected by Coronado High’s Interact Club are, from left, Rotarian Max Rumbaugh, Interact Club Sponsor Ian Stephan, Interact President Xavier Preciado, Rotarian Rene Bermudez, Yuliana Armenta and the two children of Rene and Yuliana. (Max Rumbaugh/Special to the Progress)
busy coping with hybrid education models, using on-line schooling, limitations on classroom participation and curtailment of student clubs.” The renewed club’s first project was to refresh the Papago Rotary Park in southern Scottsdale. On Earth Day, new flowers were planted, the paint of the park sign was touched up, retaining walls were repainted, and the playground was raked. With that success under their belt, the students began two collection drives involving their school mates. One was the gathering of used, but usable shoes, for disadvantaged students in Scottsdale’s sister city, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Boxes and sacks of shoes were amassed during April and May.
see CORONADO page 24
