Two CCSD teachers named Physical Education Teacher of the year

CHARLESTON, SC — The South Carolina Association for Physical Education

and Sport (SCAPES) announced this week that two Charleston County

School District (CCSD) teachers have been named the 2015 Teacher of the

Year Award for Physical Education for their respective grade levels.

The teachers are Jennifer Dawson of Jennie Moore Elementary School and

Jason Hamil of Cario Middle School.

“This award recognizes the most outstanding physical education teachers

each year for their contributions to the physical health and well being of

their students,” said Dave Spurlock, CCSD Director of Athletics. “I

congratulate both Jennifer and Jason on their awards and for being

excellent teachers every day, every year.”

Jennifer Dawson is in her tenth year at Jennie Moore Elementary and has

been teaching physical education for 14 years. Her favorite part of the job is

seeing the moment when students finally believe in themselves. “I get to be

there when a student scores their first goal, makes their first basket or

simply succeeds in something athletically that they didn’t think they could

do,” said Dawson.

She also hosts a school-wide Jump Rope for Heart event where Jennie

Moore students have always ranked in the top 10 for the state. Students

learn the skill of jumping rope while learning the facts of heart disease and

stroke. Most importantly, students learn compassion and recognize the

importance of giving and helping others, according to Dawson.

Jason Hamil has been teaching at Cairo Middle School since 2006. He has

also been coaching Varsity Boys Soccer at Academic Magnet High School

since 2004. His favorite part of teaching physical education is designing

activities geared toward encouraging participation from all students.

“In order to stem the tide of the obesity epidemic, it is vital that we reach

children who may be apprehensive about physical activity or who may not

have proper activity role models,” said Hamil. “This takes designing

innovative and unique activities. We call this The Blitz Curriculum

methodology of thinking. The solution to generational obesity begins with

reaching one child at a time.”

Jennifer Dawson and Jason Hamil will both be recognized at the SCAPES

convention in Myrtle Beach on Friday, November 13, 2015, at 7:00 p.m.

For more information, please visit: www.scahperd.org.

About the Charleston County School District

Charleston County School District (CCSD) is the second largest school system in South Carolina

representing a unique blend of urban, suburban, and rural schools that span 1,000 square miles along

the coast. CCSD serves more than 50,000 students in 86 schools and several specialized programs. With

approximately 6,100 employees district-wide, CCSD is the fourth largest employer in the region.

CCSD offers a diverse, expanding portfolio of options and specialized programs, delivered through

neighborhood, charter, magnet, IB (international baccalaureate), and Montessori schools, and is divided

into three Learning Communities led by associate superintendents. Options include specialized programs

in science, engineering and mathematics; liberal arts; music and other creative and performing arts;

career and technical preparation programs; and military and other public service enterprises.

About Vision 2016

Vision 2016 is the next phase of Charleston Achieving Excellence, CCSD’s flagship reform initiative. The

five-year plan aims to dramatically improve the achievement of every student in Charleston County and

includes three fundamental goals: 1) close the achievement gap, 2) elevate achievement overall and 3)

raise the graduation rate. These goals were developed through a series of community engagement

meetings in partnership with the CCSD Board of Trustees.