Mon, 23 May 2016IHT
The voting is in and the judges have spoken.Congratulations to the 2016 IHT Spirit Challenge “Raising the Bar” physical education winners: Bay View Middle School in Green Bay, Wis., and Anderson Elementary School in Frisco, Texas.Bay View Middle School’s video, submitted by PE teacher Kaitlyn Bloemer, won the grand prize for best video submitted by a teacher or class. The video received 4,071 votes and also drew high marks from judges based on the class’ creative efforts to “Raise the Bar” in its approach to physical education.

The grand prize includes a set of 28 new IHT Zone for heart-rate monitors and three years of IHT Spirit System software and training, a $3,000 gift card and a special school-wide pep rally featuring United States track and field legend Dick Fosbury, whose innovated “Fosbury Flop” earned him the high jump gold medal in the 1968 Olympics. Fosbury, who announced the winner in a special video, will deliver the prizes in person this fall.

“We’re thrilled to be working with IHT to support PE teachers in their efforts to empower students to get and stay active,” said Director of Partnerships Kim Scheffler. “Judging from the video submissions, especially the winning entry from Bay View Middle School, it’s clear there are some exemplary teachers and students worthy of recognition who are ‘raising the bar’ for physical education.”

Anderson Elementary first grader Mallory Greer won the top prize for a student-submitted video. Greer’s video provided a day-long look at how her class focuses on physical education, both at school and at home.

Greer wins an IHT Zone monitor and a $1,000 gift card.

Judges considered videos based on three criteria: how well the video exemplified raising the bar in physical education (50 percent), creativity (25 percent) and voting results (25 percent). Voting results served as the tiebreaker.

This year’s PE video challenge, the second conducted by IHT, drew 50 entrants and more than 31,000 voters who looked at videos nearly 63,000 times.

“Every video exemplified how teachers and students across the country demonstrate leadership, passion and quality physical education every single day,” said IHT president Jen Ohlson. “Each video inspired not only our judges but everyone who viewed them. As a company we are extremely proud to work with so many amazing physical education programs.”

That turnout dwarfs the company’s first challenge, conducted in 2015. That contest drew 24 video entries and 16,507 voters who looked at videos nearly 28,000 times. Last year’s most popular video earned 3,200 votes. This year, nine videos received at least 1,000 votes, up from four in 2015.

 

Other 2016 prize winners include:

Runners-up:

Teacher video: Terry Mahjoory, Silvia Elementary, Fall River, Mass.: $1,000 gift card and exclusive warm-up jacket

Student video: Josh Tchengang, Mauri Smith & William Anderson, King High School, Riverside, Calif.: $500 gift card and exclusive warm-up jacket

Third place:

Teacher video: John Ditter, Monroe High School, Monroe, Wis.: $750 gift card and exclusive warm-up jacket

Student video: Andrew Hodgson, Bay View Middle School, Green Bay, Wis.: $250 gift card and exclusive warm-up jacket

Fourth place:

Teacher video: Lynell Addis, Anderson Elementary, Frisco, Texas: $500 gift card and exclusive warm-up jacket

Student video: Analysse Swaffar and Dianne Saba, American Canyon High School, American Canyon, Calif.: $100 gift card and exclusive warm-up jacket

Places 5-10: IHT backpack

Teachers Videos:

5th place: Sheri Cohen, Vollmer St. Margaret Mary, Omaha, Neb.

6th place: Rosanna Sanchez, Passaic County Technical Institute, Wayne, N.J.

7th place: Gregorio Gutierrez, IDEA Academy San Juan, Texas

8th place: Paula Edwards, Hickey Elementary, Plano, Texas

9th place: Nisha Watson, Eastway Elementary, Durham, N.C.

10th place: John Dunlop, Portage Central Middle School, Portage, Mich.

Student Videos:

5th place: Nevin T., Monroe High School, Monroe, Wis.

6th place: Dylan, Palisades High School, Kintnersville, Pa.

7th place: Chey, Palisades High School, Kintnersville, Pa.

8th place: Aadi, Anderson Elementary, Frisco, Texas

9th place: S. Metaliy, Bay View Middle School, Green Bay, Wis.

10th place: Sanjana, Anderson Elementary, Frisco, Texas

$200 smart ball for best use of products in video: Rick Carr, Woodford County Schools, Woodford, Ky.