Athletic Coordinator/Physical Education Teacher at Portage Central Middle School

John Dunlop grew up in Clare, MI and graduated in Pre-Medicine from Albion College in 1989. He received a Master’s Degree from Western Michigan University in Adapted PE in 1995. John has 23 years of teaching and coaching experience, teaching elementary PE for 10 years and middle school PE for the past 13 years at Portage Central Middle School in Portage, MI. John also serves as the athletic director at Portage Central. He attained National Board Certification in Early/Middle Childhood PE in 2002 and was the first PE teacher in Michigan to achieve this certification. John has served on the Board of Directors for Michigan AHPERD and has been a presenter and consultant for 15 years.

John began using Polar heart rate monitors in 1998 and has over 17 years of experience using HRMs with 3rd -8th grade students. Incorporating the IHT Spirit system at PCMS the past 2 years has elevated his ability to personalize lessons and get immediate feedback regarding student performance data. John is impressed with how easy it is for students to use the technology right away and how efficient it is for teachers to examine the data.

John is very involved with the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), serving as a basic archery instructor trainer, coaches his 6-8 grade archery teams and is a Michigan Regional Coordinator for NASP. John is also involved as a member of Trout Unlimited and teaches youth fly fishing classes during the summer months. He enjoys being outdoors and his interests include hunting, fishing, golf and gourmet cooking. He and his wife Kelly have been married for 3 years. John has a son and a daughter who attend Portage Central HS and Kelly has a daughter who recently graduated from WMU.