As one of the largest school districts in New York, Greece Central is committed to providing PE experiences that promote lifelong fitness and wellness. With over 11,000 students spanning grades PreK-12, fulfilling this commitment is no small task.
For example, at the district’s four high schools, the PE department offers a diverse range of courses to meet students’ needs. Ray Istas, Director of Physical Education, Health, and Athletics for Greece Central, explains,
“We have everything from Personal Fitness, Mind-Body Wellness, and Team Sports to Outdoor Education and more. The goal is for every student to find a path that supports their health and wellness.”
However, ensuring high-quality resources across such a broad curriculum can be challenging—especially in a district of this size. After a successful pilot program, Greece Central adopted PLT4M as a district-wide tool to enhance student wellness. Here is how they did it.
Personal Fitness Class Pilot at Greece Odyssey
A few years ago, PE teacher Heidi Aberi set out to enhance the Personal Fitness class offered to 9th-12th graders at Greece Odyssey Academy. While searching for resources, she discovered PLT4M’s instructional videos and immediately saw their potential.
“I said to myself, ‘These are perfect’ because they give students choice and the freedom to scale movements up or down.”
After drafting a proposal and securing approval from her principal, Heidi integrated PLT4M into the year-long Personal Fitness course. She started with bodyweight movements before gradually incorporating various fitness concepts, weights, and equipment. Over time, she found PLT4M to be an invaluable tool in her classroom.
“As I used it, I saw the opportunities with PLT4M to give students a purpose and reason for being there. It made fitness meaningful because students could make connections, track progress, and see real improvements over time.”
Bonus Example: Check out a PLT4M video breaking down the squat movement for students.
Evaluating PLT4M as a District-Wide Resource
While Heidi was in the early stages of piloting PLT4M, she brought it to the larger curriculum alignment team, which consists of 18 teachers and 3 administrators representing all the district’s schools.
Ray Istas, one of the key administrators on the team, explains the approach,
“As an admin, you get bombarded with different emails and offerings, so when a PE teacher sees value in something, our team works to explore it and see how it might work within the district.”
The team began evaluating PLT4M to determine its potential beyond Personal Fitness. Ray explains that they were impressed by what they saw:
“It was clear that PLT4M was a very robust program that could support all of our teachers across different units and courses—not just Personal Fitness.”
Expanding PLT4M Pilot at Greece Olympia
As the district continued its evaluation, other PE teachers also began exploring PLT4M. Tina Hofer, a PE teacher at Greece Olympia, saw its potential for her Personal Fitness and Mind-Body Wellness classes.
Tina also envisioned how PLT4M could enhance student choice and personalization in her classes.
“One of my goals is to incorporate more student choice. Whether in the weight room for Personal Fitness or in Mind-Body Wellness classes, PLT4M offers so many different options. The technology allows us to differentiate and personalize learning.”
Proud of the progress students made first quarter during functional fitness & strength training. Patience, a beautiful facility and awesome instructional technology are paying off @GreeceOlympia @PLT4M 💪💚💛#PhysEd #wellness #fitness pic.twitter.com/19o98YPd9I
— Tina Hofer (@Ltthofer) November 8, 2024
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District Adoption & The Future of PLT4M at Greece
After successful pilots, the Greece Central School District recognized PLT4M as a valuable resource for teachers across all grade levels and classes. Ray highlights its flexibility,
“In a big district, we know our 60+ PE teachers all have different teaching styles. But having a trusted resource that everyone can tap into for various courses, classes, and units is huge.”
District Adoption Backed By BOCES
Ray also noted that adopting PLT4M was made easier by its status as an approved BOCES vendor.
“Being able to fund the majority of PLT4M through BOCES makes it a no-brainer, especially for a district of our size. After seeing success at Odyssey with Heidi and Olympia with Tina, we knew this was a great investment for our entire district.”
The Future Of PLT4M & Enhancing Student Wellness
Heidi and Tina continue exploring new ways to use PLT4M in their classes. Heidi recently integrated PLT4M’s nutrition curriculum into her sports medicine class and appreciates the program’s ongoing development.
“I’m constantly finding new ways to use PLT4M. With all the different units that keep coming out, I can keep picking and choosing along the way.”
Tina echoes this sentiment, seeing this as just the beginning:
“PLT4M has so much to offer, and I know we’re just scratching the surface. I pushed for this to be part of our district’s PE plan because I saw the value it could bring to both teachers and students.”
With PLT4M now available to all PE teachers across the district, Greece Central is well-positioned to continue enhancing student wellness and providing meaningful PE experiences for years to come.
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