State Association Honors ‘Outstanding’ Newtown Program

Head O’ Meadow School physical education teacher Steve Dreger will be among the honorees at this year’s annual conference of the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CTAHPERD). The conference will be conducted at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cromwell November 18 and 19, with the awards banquet on November 18.

Mr Dreger will receive the CTAHPERD Outstanding Program Award for his program called The Tree of Fitness. The program is one of three that will be honored at this year’s banquet.

The Tree of Fitness Club has hundreds of members and its enrollment has increased every year since its inception in 2004. The Tree of Fitness Club is an at-home club where students and parents perform exercises to earn “leaves” for the tree and healthy prizes, like water bottles. Parents monitor children each day and check for correct form during the exercise session. Students do the same for their parents.

The program is designed to help improve fitness scores, bring exercise into the home, and make it fun and motivational for students and parents to exercise. The effect stretches far beyond an improvement in fourth grade fitness score.