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Graduate School News Archive

UA Alumna Wins National Award for Work in Rogers School
-- Posted by tfisher on Wednesday, March 21 2007

Deb Walter, a physical education specialist at Crossroads Alternative School in Rogers and University of Arkansas alumna, won a national teaching award last week in Baltimore.

Walter was honored as the National Secondary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education at the national convention of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The alliance includes five national associations.

A UA graduate with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in physical education, Walter earned the award in recognition of outstanding teaching performance at the high school level and the ability to motivate today's youth to participate in a lifetime of physical activity, according to a news release from the association.

Walter, a Bella Vista resident who has worked at the Rogers school for at-risk students for eight years, contended with five other district winners for the national award. She uses an innovative adventure model in her P.E. classes.

"I provide my students with the highest quality physical education program they deserve," Walter said in the release. "They learn the importance of regular physical activity and maintaining health through the use of recreational venues such as climbing, casting a fishing pole, skating, mending a fly line, paddling a kayak, belaying, pedaling a bike, hiking and tying knots."

Sharon Hunt, head of the department of health science, kinesiology, recreation and dance in the UA College of Education and Health Professions, said before the award was announced she believed Walter had a great chance of being chosen for several reasons: Walter took a nontraditional route to becoming a teacher, having been an airline mechanic for several years before going back to college; while in the MAT program, Walter drove a UPS truck until midnight every night to pay her bills; and she teaches in an alternative school where all of her students have obstacles to overcome.

"Most importantly, she has a heart for service," Hunt said, "and she knows that she can make a positive difference in the lives of these challenged young people."

The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education is a nonprofit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. Its 17,000 members include K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, sport management professionals, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare physical activity professionals.

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