PE Teachers get to Teach a sport they Love
Warren Township Schools
Physical Education (PE) teachers from Warren Township Schools were excited to participate in a Professional Development (PD) session with members from the Professional Golf Association (PGA) sponsored by the New Jersey Golf Foundation (NJGF) on October 12th. The focus of the PD was integrating golf into the elementary and middle school Physical Education curriculum.
According to the NJ Golf Foundation’s website, “The golf program is thriving in over 221 schools in NJ. The program offers students an exciting alternative to traditional games played in Physical Education (PE) class. The NJGF funds the program and provides each school with an allotment of developmentally appropriate equipment.”
It’s no surprise that the teachers were happy to make golf more accessible to students in Warren Township, as golf happens to be a hobby for many of the district’s PE teachers.
Throughout the year 2020, Warren PE teachers gravitated towards golf in their personal lives because it allowed for physical activity and socialization while also maintaining safety measures.
Warren Middle School PE teacher Sean Mealey took his hobby one step further and worked with Woodland School PE teacher John Tsihlas to spearhead a golf tournament at the Hillsborough Country Club in July of 2020 called The Warren Invitational.
Mealey found a silver lining in the restrictions, “The pandemic limited the activities you could do. For us, it (The Warren Invitational) created an opportunity to design something fun and give back to the community. Both Mealey and Tshilas enjoyed the day and were happy with the outcome.
The following summer, Mealey and Tsihlas were set to host The Warren Invitational once again and planned to grow the tournament by including their fellow Warren Township Schools’ Co-Workers to join them.
Currently, Mealey and Tsihlas are the President and Vice-President of the Warren Invitational Committee while Aubrey Pellerin, Mt Horeb and Central School PE teacher acts as the Secretary, and Warren Middle School (WMS) PE teacher Andrew Ahimovic the Treasurer, Central School PE teacher Laura Lamson the Public Relations chair, WMS PE teacher TJ Fabiano the Social Media chair, Mt. Horeb PE teacher Sean Ulichny the Fashion Coordinator, WMS PE teacher Danielle Buzby the photographer, and finally, Nicholas Bayacheck, WMS PE teacher the coordinator of Food and Beverage.
The teachers felt strongly that the tournament should benefit a non-profit organization. The committee was proud to select and support The Arc of Somerset County, specifically Camp Jotoni, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to provide recreation and respite services for children with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
On August 11, 2021, the 2nd annual Warren Invitational was held and the event raised just over $1,000 for Camp Jotoni. All of the committee members enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to The Warren Invitational in 2022. Mealey was especially happy to present camp Jotoni with a donation. “We found a meaningful local charity to give back while playing the game we love.”
Photos by Warren Township Schools
